a story, usually for children, about elves, hobgoblins, dragons, fairies, or other magical creatures.
an incredible or misleading statement, account, or belief.
His story of being a millionaire is just a fairy tale.
of, relating to, or suggesting a fairy tale.
a fairy-tale castle.
idealized or romantic, often to an unrealistic extent.
Many people still want to believe in true love and fairy-tale endings.
of or relating to a fairy tale
resembling a fairy tale, esp in being extremely happy or fortunate
a true story with a fairy-tale ending
highly improbable
he came out with a fairy-tale account of his achievements
a story about fairies or other mythical or magical beings, esp one of traditional origin told to children
a highly improbable account
First recorded in 1740–50
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fairy tale eggplants are hardly a staple of the American dinner table and are nearly nonexistent in supermarkets.
From Washington Post • Jun. 15, 2016
Fairy tale fans will recognize Alice and the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland series and Peter Pan and Captain Hook from the Peter Pan franchise.
From Time • Mar. 29, 2016
Fairy tale plotlines resonate in our Hollywood culture, which believes firmly in the restorative power of second chances and the cauterizing effect of retribution.
From Slate • May 7, 2015
Fairy tale characters come to life in Into the Woods, a film version of Stephen Sondheim's popular Tony-winning musical.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2015
Unless I am mistaken the root of this theme is far more deeply imbedded than in the shifting sands of Folk and Fairy tale.
From From Ritual to Romance by Weston, Jessie Laidlay
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
