Phrase guide

cautionary tale

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A story, originally told in folklore, to warn its audience of a certain danger.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 警世故事 (jǐngshì gùshi) — story
  • Finnish: opettavainen kertomus — story
  • French: fable — story
  • French: conte moral — story
  • French: leçon — story
  • French: avertissement — story
  • German: Fabel — story
  • German: Schauermärchen — story
  • German: abschreckendes Beispiel — story
  • German: Vorsichtsgeschichte — story
  • German: belehrende Erzählung — story
  • Italian: storiella ammonitrice — story
  • Russian: поучи́тельная исто́рия (poučítelʹnaja istórija) — story
  • Spanish: cuento moralizante — story
  • Spanish: aviso a navegantes — story
  • Swedish: sedelärande historia — story