Word
Definition
n. a short story that teaches a lesson about life. The characters are often animals that talk and act like people.
n. a brief fictional narrative, typically featuring anthropomorphised animals or inanimate objects, that illustrates a moral lesson. Often associated with oral traditions and didactic literature.
Examples
“The tortoise and the hare is a famous fable about patience.”
“In the fable of the ant and the grasshopper, the ant works hard while the grasshopper plays all summer.”
“Ancient writers used the fable as a tool for social commentary, allowing them to critique powerful figures through the safety of animal metaphors.”
Examples
simple
“The tortoise and the hare is a famous fable about patience.”
contextual
“In the fable of the ant and the grasshopper, the ant works hard while the grasshopper plays all summer.”
complex
“Ancient writers used the fable as a tool for social commentary, allowing them to critique powerful figures through the safety of animal metaphors.”
Usage
Commonly used with the preposition 'of' when naming the specific story.
Etymology
From Middle English, borrowed from Old French fable, from Latin fābula, from fārī (“to speak, say”) + -bula (“instrumental suffix”). See ban, and compare fabulous, fame. Doublet of fabula.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
01. have a fable for
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/fable
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0