fairy tale
noun
a story, usually for children, about elves, hobgoblins, dragons, fairies, or other magical creatures.
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fairy tale
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fairy-tale
fairy-taleadjectiveof or relating to a fairy tale
fairy tale
American
[fair-ee tayl]
/ ˈfɛər i ˌteɪl /
noun
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fairy tales
plural
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a story, usually for children, about elves, hobgoblins, dragons, fairies, or other magical creatures.
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an incredible or misleading statement, account, or belief.
His story of being a millionaire is just a fairy tale.
adjective
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of, relating to, or suggesting a fairy tale.
a fairy-tale castle.
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idealized or romantic, often to an unrealistic extent.
Many people still want to believe in true love and fairy-tale endings.
fairy-tale
1
British
adjective
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of or relating to a fairy tale
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resembling a fairy tale, esp in being extremely happy or fortunate
a true story with a fairy-tale ending
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highly improbable
he came out with a fairy-tale account of his achievements
fairy tale
2
British
noun
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a story about fairies or other mythical or magical beings, esp one of traditional origin told to children
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a highly improbable account
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fairy tale
First recorded in 1740–50
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:
A story is being built, a narrative that signifies that Genres aims to be not just a bookshop, but a place that feels like a real-life fairy tale.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Whereas the curator is obsessed with evocative details, down to the placement of embroidery needles, the rather mopey fairy tale deals purely in generalities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
But these narratives tell you nothing more than that Wall Street’s brokers were exposed at impressionable ages to the Goldilocks fairy tale.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
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
A real fairy tale this time, “The Shoemaker and the Elves.”
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
Although the film was Tom Cruise’s earliest foray into action-adventure, emerging before 1986’s “Top Gun” buried its cultural legacy, any fresh Hollywood face could have played Scott’s fairy-tale hero.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Gleiberman added that the film "truly delivers 'Moana' - the beauty, the comic personality, the fairy-tale enchantment", and described Johnson's "fit" for the film as "perfect".
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Watch the cautionary tale about the perils of the transfer portal turn into a fairy-tale comeback.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
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
Twelve cotton-candy inches of snow, creating a fairy-tale world, making everything unrecognizably beautiful...
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
