1
as in stories
a rumor or report of a personal or sensational nature
don't believe the tales you hear about our neighbor's kid
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in anecdotes
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in lies
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in novelle
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
the oft-told tale of Sleeping Beauty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tales
But do not look for tales of her in the old songs.
—
Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Dec. 2024
The project is heavy on woozy tales of the erotic ups and emotional downs of falling hard, and the deadpan, adrift flows of Scoob and friends, like professional skirt-chaser Shaudy Kash, are like bumping Baby Smoove and Veeze with brain fog.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
This three-for-one anthology special packages holiday tales featuring some of Disney’s most beloved characters.
—Sezín Devi Koehler, EW.com, 6 Dec. 2024
As the rhythm thrums, Xavi and JOP lay out lyrical dominance and tales of empire, narrating a journey fuelled by non-believers turned to staunch supporters.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 6 Dec. 2024
The actor became infamous for fabricating stories about his life, including tales of witnessing a clown die and being a women’s hand model.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2024
There, a narrator and singer welcomes and regales guests with tales of how different Latin countries present stories of Santa Claus, or, say, the joy of unwrapping a tamale.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
While this one hasn’t been debunked, Pattinson reputation for spinning late-night tales but this in the highly unlikely bin.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024
Every breast cancer story is personal While the individual tales of each person with breast cancer share some of the same contours, the details and the story arcs can be vastly different.
—Andrea Kane, CNN, 21 Oct. 2024
Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Dec. 2024
The project is heavy on woozy tales of the erotic ups and emotional downs of falling hard, and the deadpan, adrift flows of Scoob and friends, like professional skirt-chaser Shaudy Kash, are like bumping Baby Smoove and Veeze with brain fog.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
This three-for-one anthology special packages holiday tales featuring some of Disney’s most beloved characters.
—Sezín Devi Koehler, EW.com, 6 Dec. 2024
As the rhythm thrums, Xavi and JOP lay out lyrical dominance and tales of empire, narrating a journey fuelled by non-believers turned to staunch supporters.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 6 Dec. 2024
The actor became infamous for fabricating stories about his life, including tales of witnessing a clown die and being a women’s hand model.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2024
There, a narrator and singer welcomes and regales guests with tales of how different Latin countries present stories of Santa Claus, or, say, the joy of unwrapping a tamale.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
While this one hasn’t been debunked, Pattinson reputation for spinning late-night tales but this in the highly unlikely bin.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024
Every breast cancer story is personal While the individual tales of each person with breast cancer share some of the same contours, the details and the story arcs can be vastly different.
—Andrea Kane, CNN, 21 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tales
Noun
-
That means not just naming your values and putting them in a frame on the boardroom wall, but also making a real effort to create and share stories that speak to those values.Samantha Reynolds, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Forbes Daily Our best stories, exclusive reporting and Forbes perspectives on the day’s top news, plus the inside scoop on the world's most important entrepreneurs.Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Some of the anecdotes in question come from former aides.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
-
Fans of the talk show will adore this book, featuring exclusive anecdotes and photos of the Shop’s celebrity guests.Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
To uncover the truth about a pernicious insurance industry practice, staffers with the New York’s state attorney general’s office decided to tell a series of lies.Max Blau, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024
-
The breach led by Peters heightened concerns that rogue election workers sympathetic to partisan lies could use their access and knowledge to attack voting processes from within.Mead Gruver, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near tales
Cite this Entry
“Tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tales. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share