: 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
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
Margaret Willis2
: 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
Reginald T. DoganExamples 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
James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Dec. 2025
Kelce this year also gave Swift a fairy-tale ending to their love story with a garden proposal (and a massive diamond ring) that made Swifties collectively freak out.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 14 Dec. 2025
Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Bridgerton is putting a unique spin on a traditional fairy tale romance in season 4.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fairy-tale
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Adjective
This classic ensemble rom-com masterfully strings together a gamut of love stories — from the fairy-tale-esque to the utterly tear-jerking — all during the cheery buildup to Christmas.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Dec. 2025
Kelce this year also gave Swift a fairy-tale ending to their love story with a garden proposal (and a massive diamond ring) that made Swifties collectively freak out.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 14 Dec. 2025
Noun
But the fairy tale didn’t last.
—Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Bridgerton is putting a unique spin on a traditional fairy tale romance in season 4.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fairy-tale
Cite this Entry
“Fairy-tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fairy-tale. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
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