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.

Still, we keep seeing agent disasters that serve as cautionary tales.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

But there are no tales of lost toenails or infected blisters for her.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Those tales are all par for the course at this point.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

It’s one of many inside the Masters tales shared by Lawrence Bennett.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

Up and down the Barteljorisstraat, shop owners were out on the sidewalk; there was an unaccustomed neighborhood feel as advice, rolls of adhesive, and tales of the night’s terror passed from door to door.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom