cautionary tale

[kaw-shuh-ner-ee teyl] / ˈkɔ ʃəˌnɛr i ˈteɪl /

NOUN

piece of advice

Synonyms

WEAK

a few words of wisdom admonition advisory caution light caveat deterrent example enough said event illustrating a hazard forewarning hint lesson message moral omen portent red flag sign of things to come wake-up call warning word to the wise

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.

"The news of its sale came as a cautionary tale of how precarious the Wordsworths' heritage in the Lake District has become," he said.

From BBC

These partnerships can be risky, regulators say, and the April 2024 collapse of Synapse Financial Technologies serves as a cautionary tale.

From MarketWatch

After decades of stagnant returns, Ciena shares have morphed from a cautionary tale into one of Wall Street’s hottest stocks.

From Barron's

There is a cautionary tale here for the U.S. today as it squares off against China.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fans might look upon the Tagovailoa situation as a cautionary tale of handing out a big contract to a player who was no slam dunk.

From MarketWatch