faerie

noun

fa·​er·​ie ˈfā-(ə-)rē How to pronounce faerie (audio) ˈfer-ē How to pronounce faerie (audio)
variants or less commonly faery
plural faeries
faery adjective

Examples of faerie in a Sentence

in ancient folklore faeries were often portrayed as powerful beings who could wreak havoc on the lives of humans
Recent Examples on the Web The faeries around her are powerful, immortal and beautiful. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2024 Elements repeat from one series to the next: There are faeries. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2024 Why can’t faeries, who have remarkable healing knowledge and the ability to survive catastrophic injuries, perform a C-section? Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2024 From ogres to faeries to unicorns (oh my!), there is certainly no shortage of mythical creatures popping up around the Spiderwick estate in the newest television adaptation of Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black’s beloved fantasy series. EW.com, 20 Apr. 2024 Even as The Spiderwick Chronicles‘ head drifts into the clouds, powered by fantasies of faeries and ogres and witches and dragons, the Roku Channel adventure is undone by the most mundane of missteps: repetitive plotting, lumpy pacing, underdeveloped characters making inexplicable decisions. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024 After crafting multiple sick rhymes about Barry Keoghan’s junk, summon wee faeries to mop brow with silken kerchief. Johanna Gohmann, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024 Where her earlier collections were anchored by a zany, wondrous youthfulness (as well as vampires, faeries, and other fantastical genre staples), this one seems to convey: Never fear, aging has entertaining horrors all its own. Anita Felicelli, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023 Absinthe drinkers talk about seeing the green faerie. Kevin Grazier, Discover Magazine, 13 Oct. 2010

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'faerie.' 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

Middle English fairie — more at fairy

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of faerie was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near faerie

Cite this Entry

“Faerie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faerie. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

faerie

noun
fa·​er·​ie
variants also faery
ˈfā-(ə-)rē How to pronounce faerie (audio)
ˈfa(ə)r-ē,
ˈfe(ə)r-ē
plural faeries
: fairy
faery adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on faerie

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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