Cinderella

noun

Cin·​der·​el·​la ˌsin-də-ˈre-lə How to pronounce Cinderella (audio)
: one resembling the fairy-tale Cinderella: such as
a
: one suffering undeserved neglect
b
: one suddenly lifted from obscurity to honor or significance
Cinderella adjective

Examples of Cinderella in a Sentence

a company that is the Cinderella of the computer industry The team is the Cinderella of the tournament.
Recent Examples on the Web Montgomery High School couldn’t pry the slipper off Cinderella’s foot. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 And in Kay Cannon’s Cinderella, the overworked protagonist (Camilla Cabello) cares more about opening a clothing store than finding a prince. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 Notable items included a dress worn by Drew Barrymore in Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998), the Christian Dior ball gown worn by Madonna in Evita (1996) and the costume worn by ​​Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes (2009). Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024 Players will choose between Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Ariel to guide them along the rainbow path. Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 When compared to other classic tales from the House of Mouse, Cinderella falls a bit short. EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024 The senior buried eight consecutive free throws in the clutch to end McClatchy’s Cinderella run. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024 His first came for the 2006 film Cinderella Man, a creaky Ron Howard boxing biopic set during the Great Depression, in which Giamatti played the ornery manager Joe Gould. David Sims, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024 Leland’s Cinderella run came to an end as host Christopher got 33 points and 12 rebounds from 6-5 junior Jaxen Robinson to advance to the title game against Valley Christian. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Cinderella.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

after Cinderella, fairy-tale heroine who is used as a drudge by her stepmother but ends up married to a prince

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Cinderella was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near Cinderella

Cite this Entry

“Cinderella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cinderella. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Cinderella

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