: 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
an old-fashioned fairy tale depicting revolutionists as demigods—Jonathan Zimmerman
Jonathan ZimmermanExamples 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
Tom Gliatto, People.com, 12 June 2025
But her own fairy-tale wedding seems to be nowhere in sight.
—Lesley O'Toole, Variety, 10 June 2025
David Chiu, People.com, 12 June 2025
The film weaves a dark fairy tale about a girl whose tears transform into pearls, exploring themes of grief, greed and transformation.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fairy-tale
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Adjective
But, to borrow from Joni Mitchell, she’s seen life from both sides now — and the hell with fairy-tale clouds and old boyfriends like John (Evans).
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 12 June 2025
But her own fairy-tale wedding seems to be nowhere in sight.
—Lesley O'Toole, Variety, 10 June 2025
Noun
Singer Boy George Is Telling All: The Biggest Revelations In His New Memoir 'Karma'
A considerable portion of the Culture Club story was the romance between George and Moss, which started out almost like a fairy tale and then became volatile as the group became famous.
—David Chiu, People.com, 12 June 2025
The film weaves a dark fairy tale about a girl whose tears transform into pearls, exploring themes of grief, greed and transformation.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 8 June 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 18 Jun. 2025.
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