1
as in story
a rumor or report of a personal or sensational nature
don't believe the tales you hear about our neighbor's kid
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2
as in anecdote
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally
asked Dad to tell once again the tale of how, as a kid, he broke his arm jumping out of a tree
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3
as in lie
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
told tall tales in an attempt to impress me with her supposedly upper-crust background
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in novella
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
the oft-told tale of Sleeping Beauty
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tale
This was a tale that would be grounded not in European story beats but in Indigenous — and Maya, specifically — lore.
—
Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2025
This incident serves as a cautionary tale for companies deploying AI in their communications.
—Rebekah Bastian, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Per old wives’ tales, nesting is a phenomenon that happens near the end of gestation: a maternal instinct to prepare for birth.
—Betty Liu, Bon Appétit, 20 Jan. 2025
Associating King and the Civil Rights Movement with the South is a more comfortable tale.
—Erik Wallenberg, Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tale 
Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2025
This incident serves as a cautionary tale for companies deploying AI in their communications.
—Rebekah Bastian, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Per old wives’ tales, nesting is a phenomenon that happens near the end of gestation: a maternal instinct to prepare for birth.
—Betty Liu, Bon Appétit, 20 Jan. 2025
Associating King and the Civil Rights Movement with the South is a more comfortable tale.
—Erik Wallenberg, Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tale
Noun
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This story was updated with additional information.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Jan. 2025
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Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.—
Jeffrey R. Wilson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There's also teases of more pod love triangles (of course), social media exposés, lies, and exes potentially still being in the picture (and living in the same building).—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
EW.com,
28 Jan. 2025
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Many of the former government officials whose lies have resulted in the disastrous policies of the past and the unending wars, particularly in the Middle East, are the most vocal opponents of her nomination.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Hellraiser Year: 1987 Runtime: 1h 34m Director: Clive Barker The horror author Clive Barker directed this adaptation of his own novella The Hellbound Heart and made genre movie history.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
8 Jan. 2025
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Among her dozens of publications were seven novellas that appeared as serials in these two weeklies.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Bennett agreed to 10 years in prison with another 10 years of probation upon his release after pleading guilty to one count of violating Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
1 Feb. 2025
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Morales was also found guilty of three counts of engaging in a speed contest resulting in great bodily injury and one count of engaging in a speed contest.—
Caelyn Pender,
The Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The whispers rise, a hum, a din— China’s AI, set to win.—
Emily Forlini,
PCMAG,
28 Jan. 2025
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More powerful and vivid than captured on record, her singing moved from faint, vulnerable whispers to urgent, shrill-free belting that often carried without the aid of effects.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Loading your audio article There’s an old fable about a frog in a boiling pot of water.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
The Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2025
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The Brutalist is a Fitzcarraldo fable of artistic endeavor, a universal immigrant tale and a searing indictment of capitalism Jones plays opposite Brody as Tóth’s wife, Erzsébet, in an indelible portrait of a woman physically broken by war who remains resolutely unbroken in spirit.—
Wendell Steavenson,
Vogue,
5 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Although the goal originated from a Gabriel Martinelli cross, their tally for goals from crosses does not increase as Wolves’ Nelson Semedo headed the ball away before Calafiori’s finish.—
Art de Roché,
The Athletic,
25 Jan. 2025
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Tapping the card shows more details with your movement score (called Movement Index) graphed over time and total tallies of active minutes and hours.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Dreaming of owning For now, scores of Londoners are trapped in a vicious circle.—
Anna Cooban,
CNN,
31 Jan. 2025
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What remains unknown, the mayor said, is whether President Donald Trump’s promises to deport scores of undocumented immigrants will increase the pressure.—
Ryan Gillespie,
Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near tale
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
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