fairy

[ fair-ee ]

/ ˈfɛər i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fairy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural fair·ies.

(in folklore) one of a class of supernatural beings, generally conceived as having a diminutive human form and possessing magical powers with which they intervene in human affairs.

Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a male homosexual.

adjective

of or relating to fairies: fairy magic.

of the nature of a fairy; fairylike.

fairy green.

Nearby words

fairview, fairview heights, fairview park, fairway, fairweather, fairy, fairy bluebird, fairy cycle, fairy glove, fairy godfather, fairy godmother

Origin of fairy

1250–1300; Middle English faierie < Old French: enchantment, fairyland. See fay¹, -ery

SYNONYMS FOR fairy

1 pixy, leprechaun. Fairy, brownie, elf, sprite are terms for imaginary beings usually less than human size, thought to be helpful or harmful to people. Fairy is the most general name for such beings: a good fairy as a godmother; misadventures caused by an evil fairy. A brownie is a good-natured tiny being who appears usually at night to do household tasks: Perhaps the brownies will come and mow the lawn tonight. Elf suggests a young, mischievous or roguish fairy: That child is a perfect little elf. Sprite suggests a fairy of pleasing appearance, older than an elf, to be admired for ease and lightness of movement; it may, however, be impish or even hostile: a dainty sprite.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fairy ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fairy

But when the darkness closes in, we actually run to fairy tales and fables.
On Torture, Chuck Johnson & Sondheim|James Poulos|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Actually, rather like Gruber, we feel rather icky about fairy tales.
On Torture, Chuck Johnson & Sondheim|James Poulos|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not that the demonstration had anything to do with this couple, whom Sarah seems to see as a fairy tale come to life.
Synagogue Slay: When Cops Have to Kill|Michael Daly|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In reality, prison weddings look nothing like the fairy tales depicted on TV and in bridal magazines.
Saying Yes to the Dress—Behind Bars|Caitlin Dickson|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“I have full faith that this will happen,” Williams says, prepping her fairy dust for a flurry of happy thoughts.
The Cast of ‘Peter Pan Live!’ Knows You Hatewatched ‘The Sound of Music’|Kevin Fallon|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet he was conquered by a woman; the fairy Vivien enchanted the enchanter and kept him in a hawthorn bush under a spell.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)|Anatole France
One couldn't help wondering that the Fairy Aurora allowed it to be in her room.
Roumanian Fairy Tales|Various
Take up the love poems, elegies, fairy tales and prayers of the ancient Egyptians.
The Literature of Ecstasy|Albert Mordell
Once, her moving fingers 155 felt the little bag hanging from its leathern thong about her neck, in which was the fairy crystal.
Heart of the Blue Ridge|Waldron Baily
His fairy tales, very much got in their day, would make very dull reading now.
Court Beauties of Old Whitehall|W. R. H. Trowbridge

British Dictionary definitions for fairy

fairy

/ (ˈfɛərɪ) /

noun plural fairies

an imaginary supernatural being, usually represented in diminutive human form and characterized as clever, playful, and having magical powers

slang a male homosexual

away with the fairies informal out of touch with reality

adjective (prenominal)

of or relating to a fairy or fairies

resembling a fairy or fairies, esp in being enchanted or delicate

Derived Forms

fairy-like, adjective

Word Origin for fairy

C14: from Old French faerie fairyland, from feie fairy, from Latin Fāta the Fates; see fate, fay 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with fairy

fairy

In addition to the idiom beginning with fairy

fairy godmother

also see:

tooth fairy