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.
of, relating to, or suggesting a fairy tale.
a fairy-tale castle.
idealized or romantic, often to an unrealistic extent.
Many people still want to believe in true love and fairy-tale endings.
of or relating to a fairy tale
resembling a fairy tale, esp in being extremely happy or fortunate
a true story with a fairy-tale ending
highly improbable
he came out with a fairy-tale account of his achievements
a story about fairies or other mythical or magical beings, esp one of traditional origin told to children
a highly improbable account
First recorded in 1740–50
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For those who really read it without the false sense of reverence imbued by generations, Homer’s poem has the feel of a fairy tale.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Planetary scientists call this the "Goldilocks zone", after the fairy tale girl who was fussy about the temperature of her porridge.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
It seems like a magical retirement fairy tale: Even as you spend money in retirement, your nest egg continues to grow.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
Clothes and accessories so elevated, they seem like a fairy tale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
After the dinner, things became even more like a fairy tale.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
Pictures show an exterior that conjures up images of a fairy-tale cottage hidden away among the trees, while the interior is a vibrant rainbow of colors, textures, and decor.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 17, 2026
“His pictures,” Barnes wrote, “have the charm of a child’s fairy-tale, but there is nothing childish or untutored in the skill with which they are executed.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2025
Elementary students receive a simplified worldview through fairy-tale images of good and evil.
From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2025
Disney's live-action version of the classic fairy-tale Snow White has topped the North American box office chart despite a slew of underwhelming reviews.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2025
Or storybook pirates or fairy-tale witches—those were the worst disasters Maximilian could imagine.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
