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fairy tale

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fairy tale ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

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RELATED WORDS

fable, myth, tale, yarn, Marchen

Nearby words

  1. fairy ring,
  2. fairy shrimp,
  3. fairy stone,
  4. fairy story,
  5. fairy swallow,
  6. fairy-slipper,
  7. fairy-tale,
  8. fairyfloss,
  9. fairyhood,
  10. fairyism

Origin of fairy tale

First recorded in 1740–50
Also called fairy story.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for fairy tale

fairy tale

fairy story

noun

a story about fairies or other mythical or magical beings, esp one of traditional origin told to children
a highly improbable account
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
Word Origin and History for fairy tale

fairy tale

n.

"oral narrative centered on magical tests, quests, and transformations," 1749, translating French Conte de feés of Madame d'Aulnois (1698, translated into English 1699). As an adjective (also fairytale), attested by 1963.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper