fairy-tale

1 of 2

adjective

: 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 performanceMargaret Willis
2
: a made-up story usually designed to mislead
an old-fashioned fairy tale depicting revolutionists as demigodsJonathan Zimmerman

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
She’s realer, funnier and more nuanced than that and not about to go quietly once her fairy-tale romance ends and Ivan makes a run for it. Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024 News of Chigvintsev’s arrest also ended what appeared to be a reality TV-style fairy-tale romance, involving the two celebrities. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024
Noun
All come from the same spiritual universe, as dark as true fairy tales tend to be, confections of extreme beauty with neon venom laced through. Lauren Groff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024 The storied maison is making both of those wishes come true with their new limited-edition version of Chanel N°5 Eau de Parfum that seems like it was plucked out of a fairy tale—or a snow globe. Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fairy-tale 

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

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1904, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fairy-tale was in 1635

Dictionary Entries Near fairy-tale

fairy tale

fairy-tale

fairy tern

Cite this Entry

“Fairy-tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fairy-tale. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!