Cinderella

noun

Cin·​der·​el·​la ˌsin-də-ˈre-lə 

: 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

Over the next fortnight, viewers will see heartbreak, triumph, Cinderella stories and real royalty. —Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025

For Queen, that was during the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32, his fiery Maryland team against a motley Colorado State crew dripping with Cinderella potential. —Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 25 June 2025

The comedian's film credits following The Lion King include Cinderella (1997), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), For Colored Girls (2010), Top Five (2014), Nobody's Fool (2018) and Till (2022). —Diane J. Cho, People.com, 24 June 2025

The Commanders' Cinderella story ultimately ended in the NFC Championship Game against the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, but the message was clear: Daniels had arrived. —Victor Williams, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025

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

Rhymes for Cinderella

• arabella
• bartonella
• bordetella
• citronella
• columella
• isabella
• klebsiella
• legionella
• mozzarella
• pasteurella
• salmonella
• trichinella