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fairy tale
fairy talenouna story, usually for children, about elves, hobgoblins, dragons, fairies, or other magical creatures.
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fairy-tale
fairy-taleadjectiveof or relating to a fairy tale
fairy tale
Americannoun
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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.
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
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:
The documentary soon evolved from a potential fairy tale into a rumination on one question: “When his body is saying ‘stop,’ why does he decide to keep going?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 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
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
“I’d originally wanted a practical partnership, but now I think I’m getting the fairy tale anyway.”
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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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
A supernatural action thriller fueled by literal fairy-tale romance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 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
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
Now he looks like a shoemaker in an old fairy-tale book.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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