: 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
Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 27 Oct. 2025
Inside sits a ruby-and-diamond necklace by Fred Joaillier, valued at $250,000—the fairy-tale centerpiece of an opera night.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Spending most of her time in the school library, her reality begins to blend with one fairy tale, as the prince begins speaking to her about feeling trapped to relive the book's narrative over and over.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fairy-tale
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Adjective
With the approach of the holiday season, many European cities transform into fairy-tale winter wonderlands—sometimes with a dusting of snow.
—Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 27 Oct. 2025
Inside sits a ruby-and-diamond necklace by Fred Joaillier, valued at $250,000—the fairy-tale centerpiece of an opera night.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
The series of films, based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, reached its creative high point with this proto-psychedelic fairy tale, whose bright colors and delirious mood predicted a groovy art movement that was then just around the corner.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Spending most of her time in the school library, her reality begins to blend with one fairy tale, as the prince begins speaking to her about feeling trapped to relive the book's narrative over and over.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 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 10 Nov. 2025.
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