fairy godmother

American  

[fair-ee god-muhth-er] / ˈfɛər i ˈgɒdˌmʌð ər /

noun

fairy godmothers plural

1. a kindly sponsor or guardian; godmother.

2. a fairy-tale character who uses magical powers to help a hero or heroine.

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fairy godmother British  

noun

1. a character in certain fairy stories who brings unexpected benefits to the hero or heroine

2. any benefactress, esp an unknown one

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fairy godmother Idioms  

1. A generous benefactor, as in An anonymous fairy godmother donated the money for the new organ. This expression alludes to a stock character in fairy tales such as Cinderella, who gives unexpected and much needed assistance. [Late 1800s]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fairy godmothers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fairy godmother

First recorded in 1710–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fairy godmother

I think of the character Jonny as this amazing, queer, fairy godmother.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

As Roy writes, "The LGBTQ+ movement was young in India. Hungry for a queer history, it seemed to have seized on Chapal Bhaduri to be its fairy godmother."

From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026

If your greatest wish is for McDonald’s to offer a Luther Burger, your fairy godmother has good news.

From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2024

Her $990 Margiela Mary-Jane Tabis have vanished into thin air like a fairy godmother after she grants all wishes.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2023

Like a fairy godmother waving a magical wand, she tapped open cabinet doors and pulled out extra fluffy pillows so that we might rest comfortably on the sofas and recover from our arduous expedition.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall