fairy-tale

1 of 2

adjective

ˈfer-ē-ˌtāl 

: characteristic of or suitable to a fairy tale

especially : marked by seemingly unreal beauty, perfection, luck, or happiness

led a fairy-tale life

a store clerk's fairy-tale romance

fairy tale

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a story (as for children) involving fantastic forces and beings (such as fairies, wizards, and goblins)

enjoyed the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid"

called also fairy story

b

: a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending

… those balletic fairy tales in which a new corps member steps in for an injured principal at the last minute and delivers a splendid performance.

—Margaret Willis

2

: a made-up story usually designed to mislead

Don't fall for the fairy tale going around that offshore drilling will lessen our dependence on foreign oil …

—Reginald T. Dogan

Synonyms of fairy-tale

Noun

• lie
• tale
• story

Examples of fairy-tale in a Sentence

Noun

the fairy tale about the sleeping princess

Everything he told us about his happy marriage was just a fairy tale.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

During one of the balls, Peggy (Denée Benton) gets her fairy-tale moment when William Kirkland (Jordan Donica) defies his prejudiced mother (Phylicia Rashad) and cuts through the dance floor to propose to her in front of everyone. — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026

Louder Than Fear, which will be released on Hulu on August 13, can even function as Barker’s fairy-tale story. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026

Noun

The Genie's Limits Every fairy tale has rules, and so does the UAE tax system. — Alia Noor, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

The paranoid despot is a familiar trope, in fairy tales and in fact. — Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1904, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for fairy-tale

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale

Kids Definition

fairy tale

noun

1

: a simple children's story about imaginary beings

called also fairy story

2

: a made-up story usually meant to mislead