cry wolf
Raise unfounded alarm
To cry wolf is to raise a false alarm, especially habitually.
The phrase comes from Aesop's fable about a shepherd boy who repeatedly tricks villagers into thinking a wolf is attacking his flock; when a wolf finally appears, no one believes him.
After she cried wolf about the project deadline three times, management stopped taking her warnings seriously.
Erroneous warning signal
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- lieDeliberate falsehood
- exaggerationOverstating beyond reality
pretense · deceit · feint · fib · untruth · mislead · dishonesty · sham
Lack of firm belief
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- warinessCautious distrust
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
incredulity · cynicism · dismissed · ignored · discredited · unheeded · questioned · mistrusted
Ancient Greek fable writer
- shepherdOne who tends flocks
- cautionary taleStory illustrating consequences
- moralsPrinciples of right conduct
- parableInstructive allegorical narrative
folklore · allegory · lesson · fables · mythology · storytelling · tales · narrative
Purposely not noticed
- unheededIgnored after being given
- dismissedReleased from duty
- discreditedProven unworthy of trust
- backfireYield unintended consequences
regret · isolation · vulnerability · comeuppance · lesson learned · too late · accountability · credibility gap
false alarm
Erroneous warning signal
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- lieDeliberate falsehood
exaggeration · pretense · deceit · feint · fib · untruth · mislead · dishonesty · sham · phony
doubt
Lack of firm belief
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- warinessCautious distrust
suspicion · incredulity · cynicism · dismissed · ignored · discredited · unheeded · questioned · mistrusted · wary
Aesop
Ancient Greek fable writer
- shepherdOne who tends flocks
- cautionary taleStory illustrating consequences
- moralsPrinciples of right conduct
parable · folklore · allegory · lesson · fables · mythology · storytelling · tales · narrative · legend
ignored
Purposely not noticed
- unheededIgnored after being given
- dismissedReleased from duty
- discreditedProven unworthy of trust
backfire · regret · isolation · vulnerability · comeuppance · lesson learned · too late · accountability · credibility gap
- fablesfable, Aesop, Aesop's fables, Aesop fables, tortoise and hare
- false alarmsfire drill, car alarm, smoke detector, false positive, hoax
- skepticismdoubt, skeptic, doubts, debunker, doubtful
cry wolfsound the alarm
tell the truth · ring true · speak the truth · level with · give a heads up
cry, wolf, crying, outcry, crybaby, wolves, wolfish, wolfed, wolfing