Cinderella
noun
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.
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Cinderella
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“Cinderella”
“Cinderella”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.
Cinderella
American
[sin-duh-rel-uh]
/ ˌsɪn dəˈrɛl ə /
noun
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Cinderellas
plural
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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.
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(italics) the tale itself, the earliest version of which is in Chinese and dates from the 9th century a.d.
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(italics) a ballet (1945) with musical score by Sergei Prokofiev.
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a person or thing of merit, undeservedly neglected or forced into a wretched or obscure existence.
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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
British
/ ˌsɪndəˈrɛlə /
noun
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a girl who achieves fame after being obscure
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a poor, neglected, or unsuccessful person or thing
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( as modifier )
a Cinderella service within the NHS
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(modifier) relating to dramatic success
a Cinderella story
“Cinderella”
Cultural
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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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Cinderella
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)
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.
See Examples For:
“It just felt like a wicked Cinderella story,” Alexandra said backstage, just before the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
She was dubbed by the press as the Cinderella of Kristiansand - a reference to her humble beginnings.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Ms. Rundell, who is a fellow at Oxford and has published a biography of John Donne in addition to her children’s fiction, is a playfully erudite writer, referencing Aristotle and Cinderella with equal fluency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The 32-year-old told AFP he has been reading copiously since relinquishing his weapon, and has particularly enjoyed his copy of "Cinderella."
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
In the story, Cinderella's fairy godmother waved her magic wand and made Cinderella a special pair of glass slippers to wear to the prince's ball.
From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene
Ha: I guess because it’s the constant “Cinderella” nod, I really relied heavily on “Cinderella.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
More recently, Geena Davis and Gwyneth Paltrow channeled their projects with their premiere fits in the 1990s, and the casts of 2015’s “Cinderella” and 2018’s “Black Panther” did the same.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
We say that the “Cinderella” story is rags to riches, but in all versions, especially the European ones, she is a noble girl put into the kitchen by her wicked stepmother.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
“Matilda the Musical” runs May 26-June 16 and “Cinderella” runs July 27-Aug.
From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2024
When at seven or eight years of age I went to see her at the Boston Museum, the days she began to sing in “Cinderella” and the “Children of Cyprus.”
From The Arena Volume 4, No. 23, October, 1891 by B. O. (Benjamin Orange) Flower
With all due respect to the heartwarming Cinderellas of this tournament, the reason we tune in every four years isn’t to witness the exploits of Cape Verde or Canada.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Things aren’t a mistake, it’s not an accident, there are no Cinderellas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2025
That proved to be the magic number: no byes, two days of first-round upsets that captivated the country, real Cinderellas getting their moment — or in Butler’s case, moments — in the spotlight.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 16, 2022
The most welcome return, though, will not be for blue bloods or Cinderellas, familiar coaches or rising stars.
From New York Times ● Mar. 13, 2022
Are there many Cinderellas here?” a little timidly.
From A Modern Cinderella by Amanda Minnie Douglas
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.
