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• fairy tale
  fairy tale

  noun

  a story, usually for children, about elves, hobgoblins, dragons, fairies, or other magical creatures.
• fairy-tale
  fairy-tale

  adjective

  of or relating to a fairy tale

fairy tale

American  

[fair-ee teyl] / ˈfɛər i ˌteɪl /

noun

• fairy tales
  plural

1. a story, usually for children, about elves, hobgoblins, dragons, fairies, or other magical creatures.

2. an incredible or misleading statement, account, or belief.

   His story of being a millionaire is just a fairy tale.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or suggesting a fairy tale.

   a fairy-tale castle.

2. 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

1. of or relating to a fairy tale

2. resembling a fairy tale, esp in being extremely happy or fortunate

   a true story with a fairy-tale ending

3. highly improbable

   he came out with a fairy-tale account of his achievements

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fairy tale ² British  

noun

1. a story about fairies or other mythical or magical beings, esp one of traditional origin told to children

2. a highly improbable account

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fairy tales
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fairy tale

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fairy tale fairy-tale

Brimming with confidence, he said: "I look like I am from a fairy tale, I am the most handsome man in England."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 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

But it’s no fairy tale — it’s Arthur Fery’s out-of-nowhere performance over the last 10 days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 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

“So you—you don’t think it can be a fairy tale or a myth?”

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

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

Elementary students receive a simplified worldview through fairy-tale images of good and evil.

From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2025

Within minutes, we’d found a red-capped, white-dotted Amanita muscaria, the archetypal fairy-tale mushroom, which felt like spotting a celebrity in the grocery store.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025

I imagined I was entering a fairy-tale kingdom inhabited by tree spirits.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter