tales

[teylz, tey-leez] / teɪlz, ˈteɪ liz /

NOUN

story

Synonyms

STRONGEST

account anecdote fable fiction legend myth narrative novel short story yarn

STRONG

narration relation report romance saga

WEAK

fairy tale folk tale

Antonyms

STRONGEST

non-fiction truth

NOUN

made-up story

Synonyms

STRONGEST

fiction rumor yarn

STRONG

canard chestnut clothesline defamation detraction exaggeration fabrication falsehood falsity fib lie misrepresentation prevarication rigmarole scandal slander spiel untruth

WEAK

cock-and-bull story tall story untruism

Antonyms

STRONGEST

truth

STRONG

honesty praise

WEAK

non-fiction

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But when he would occasionally return to America, where his fish-out-of-Irish-water tales didn’t always translate, he felt uncomfortable onstage.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

Speaking afterwards, Swayne told the BBC, Hilaire Belloc's cautionary tales were his "favourite reading and a compendium of wisdom".

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026

More tales of “bad bros” from Quentin Fottrell:

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

“In Defense of Sunlight” benefits from Mr. Jacobsen’s breezy prose and tales of his own experiences with sunlight—or lack thereof.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026

I will share how she put love and life in her food, her home, her tall tales.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera