Cinderella

[sin-duh-rel-uh]

noun

1. a heroine of a fairy tale or folk tale who is maltreated by a malevolent stepmother but achieves happiness and marries a prince through the benevolent intervention of a fairy godmother.

2. (italics),  the tale itself, the earliest version of which is in Chinese and dates from the 9th century a.d.

3. (italics),  a ballet (1945) with musical score by Sergei Prokofiev.

4. a person or thing of merit, undeservedly neglected or forced into a wretched or obscure existence.

5. a person or thing that achieves unexpected or sudden success or recognition, especially after obscurity, neglect, or misery (often used attributively).

   Which team will find themselves the Cinderella of this year’s college basketball season?

Cinderella

/ ˌsɪndəˈrɛlə /

noun

1. a girl who achieves fame after being obscure

2. 1. a poor, neglected, or unsuccessful person or thing

   2. ( as modifier )

      a Cinderella service within the NHS

3. (modifier) relating to dramatic success

   a Cinderella story

“Cinderella”

1. A fairy tale from the collection of Charles Perrault. Cinderella, a young girl, is forced by her stepmother and stepsisters to do heavy housework and relaxes by sitting among the cinders by the fireplace. One evening, when the prince of the kingdom is holding a ball, Cinderella's fairy godmother visits her, magically dresses her for the ball, turns a pumpkin into a magnificent carriage for her, warns her not to stay past midnight, and sends her off. Cinderella captivates the prince at the ball but leaves just as midnight is striking, and in her haste she drops a slipper; as the story is usually told in English, the slipper is made of glass. She returns home with her fine clothes turned back into rags and her carriage a pumpkin again. The prince searches throughout the kingdom for the owner of the slipper. Cinderella is the only one whom it fits, and the prince marries her.

The name Cinderella is sometimes applied to a person or group that undergoes a sudden transformation, such as an athletic team that loses frequently and then starts to win steadily.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Cinderella¹

First recorded in 1840–50; partial translation of French Cendrillon “Little Ashes,” from Charles Perrault’s Cendrillon, ou la petite pantoufle de verre “Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper” (1697)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Cinderella¹

C19: after Cinderella, the heroine of a fairy tale who is aided by a fairy godmother

Example Sentences

But “Grounded” would have been better left without its imposed topic, which inadvertently casts much work as ugly stepsisters unsuccessfully trying to jam their feet into Cinderella’s glass slipper.

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“It’s like the Cinderella story at some point,” said Duke Manyweather, widely respected offensive line expert.

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Down on their luck athletes are also at the center of “Cinderella Man,” “Mr. Baseball” and the recent Owen Wilson comedy “Stick.”

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“Even if you don’t want a Cinderella story, you can’t deny that a Cinderella story would be nice,” said Ally Armeson, the executive director of the nonprofit FightCybercrime.org.

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“Those people don’t roll their eyes because they’re in a Cinderella costume. They are Cinderella.”

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