folktale

noun

folk·​tale ˈfōk-ˌtāl 

: a characteristically anonymous, timeless, and placeless tale circulated orally among a people

Examples of folktale in a Sentence

West African folktales that continue to be passed from generation to generation through storytelling.

Recent Examples on the Web

The body horror of birth gives way to the fairy-tale horror of early motherhood, which McBride, a translator based in Barcelona, strews with literary Easter eggs from folktales and Victorian poetry. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Pritam invokes the 18th-century Punjabi Sufi poet Waris Shah, whose version of the Punjabi folktale Heer retells the tragic love story of Heer and Ranjha. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026

Disney made its name on the back of fairy and folktales, retelling centuries-old stories and giving them a fresh new spin for modern audiences. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 July 2026

Irving may have been influenced by German folktales about a man who slept for 20 years, or European stories of terrifying headless riders, but these stories were set in rural New York state, with a distinctly American voice and references. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for folktale

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

folktale

noun

folk·​tale -ˌtāl 

: a story made up and handed down by the common people