a beautiful princess, the heroine of a popular fairy tale, awakened from a charmed sleep by the kiss of the prince who is her true love.
(italics) the fairy tale itself.
(italics) a ballet (1889) by Tchaikovsky.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A world premiere by Gregory Spears casts a veil of dream-like haunting over the story of Sleeping Beauty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
But within a matter of years, he is appearing on stage in Sleeping Beauty.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025
Gurr asks, referring to a Renie Bardeau picture of Disney behind the wheel in the carriage of a car in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025
A young Roffman, who was always more Team Snow White than Sleeping Beauty when it came to battles for classic Disney princess dominance, was confused and starstruck.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2025
To cope, I pretended I was destined for a different life, just like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, the Little Princess and, of course, Alice.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
“Sleepers Awake” by Gregory Spears, given its world premiere by Opera Philadelphia at the Academy of Music on Wednesday, turns “Sleeping Beauty” on its head.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
“Sleeping Beauty” came from Charles Perrault’s 1697 fairy tale.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2023
Disney’s revisionist “Maleficent” took the “Sleeping Beauty” story that inspired the studio’s own 1959 animated classic and turned it upside down, right on the horned head of its titular protagonist.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 15, 2019
Irvine is emphasizing bright pink and darker blues — an illustration of “Sleeping Beauty” artist Eyvind Earle sprung to life, and a way to make the original designs of Herb Ryman pop.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2019
A “Sleeping Beauty” land—The coming of the English—Early explorations—The resourceful Australian.
From Peeps At Many Lands: Australia by Spence, Percy F. S. (Percy Frederick Seaton)
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.
