: 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
In Howard Schwartz’s version of Rabbinic folktales, the images and storylines of Jewish folklore become colorful, polymorphic, and wondrous while never losing an aura of ancient scariness.
—
Jon Raymond
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
The genre has a long, diverse history According to the Library of Congress, the roots of country music can be traced back to the 17th century when European immigrants and enslaved Africans brought their folktales, folk songs, instruments, and musical traditions to North America.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Common fantasy races such as trolls, dwarfs, elves and ogres were originally inspired by the folktales of Europe (and are usually far removed from their original forms), but orcs are an original creation from Tolkien.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
The movie opens like an old folktale, and that tone pervades the rest of the narrative.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folktale
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jon Raymond
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
The genre has a long, diverse history According to the Library of Congress, the roots of country music can be traced back to the 17th century when European immigrants and enslaved Africans brought their folktales, folk songs, instruments, and musical traditions to North America.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Common fantasy races such as trolls, dwarfs, elves and ogres were originally inspired by the folktales of Europe (and are usually far removed from their original forms), but orcs are an original creation from Tolkien.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
The movie opens like an old folktale, and that tone pervades the rest of the narrative.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folktale
Cite this Entry
“Folktale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folktale. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
folktale
noun
folk·tale
-ˌtāl 
: a story made up and handed down by the common people
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share