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.
Their fairy tale marriage shattered in 2015, when Chey divulged in a three-page letter published by a South Korean newspaper that he wanted to divorce Roh.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
For those who really read it without the false sense of reverence imbued by generations, Homer’s poem has the feel of a fairy tale.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Planetary scientists call this the "Goldilocks zone", after the fairy tale girl who was fussy about the temperature of her porridge.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
It seems like a magical retirement fairy tale: Even as you spend money in retirement, your nest egg continues to grow.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
It had seemed to Adina then to be a TV fairy tale: All those pretty girls smiling and waving and showing off their tumbling skills.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
It has brought fresh infamy to “The Bachelor” and its format of prioritizing fairy-tale romance scenarios inside an isolated bubble while sidelining real-world issues centered on social trends, mental health and cultural shifts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
Pictures show an exterior that conjures up images of a fairy-tale cottage hidden away among the trees, while the interior is a vibrant rainbow of colors, textures, and decor.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 17, 2026
Barnum gradually expanded these gardens to include museums and theaters, where families could do everything from gawking at unusual people or animals to watching performances of fairy-tale characters like Aladdin or Goldilocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026
Elementary students receive a simplified worldview through fairy-tale images of good and evil.
From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2025
I take the road past the castle, a fairy-tale place of turrets and etched stone where my sisters used to eat picnics, but those memories are like old photographs faded by the sun.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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.
