as in lies
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
did you really see a bear, or are you telling us another one of your fairy tales?
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fairy tales
The group’s notebooks read like fragments of fairy tales or magical realism—years of stories within stories within stories, like Russian nesting dolls.
—
Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Animated family films have been a staple of entertainment culture for nearly a century and offer a rich catalog of adventures, fables, fairy tales and dramas.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 27 Jan. 2026
Or throw it back with some age-old fables or fairy tales.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
This video is a modern take on two classics that transforms the fairy tales into a musical, pairing new songs with the traditional storylines.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 9 Jan. 2026
Many of his works double as fairy tales, and have been adapted into children’s books.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
Based on the stage musical by Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods is a modern twist on classic fairy tales.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Will there be future fairy tales about birds whose feathers glow in the dark nesting in the ruins of primitive power plants of past ages?
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
The story, in its heart, is now one of the great fairy tales of Western culture.
—Robert Eggers, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Animated family films have been a staple of entertainment culture for nearly a century and offer a rich catalog of adventures, fables, fairy tales and dramas.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 27 Jan. 2026
Or throw it back with some age-old fables or fairy tales.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
This video is a modern take on two classics that transforms the fairy tales into a musical, pairing new songs with the traditional storylines.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 9 Jan. 2026
Many of his works double as fairy tales, and have been adapted into children’s books.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
Based on the stage musical by Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods is a modern twist on classic fairy tales.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Will there be future fairy tales about birds whose feathers glow in the dark nesting in the ruins of primitive power plants of past ages?
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
The story, in its heart, is now one of the great fairy tales of Western culture.
—Robert Eggers, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fairy tales
Noun
-
Newspaper headlines screamed that Welch had called out McCarthy for his cruelty, his ruthlessness and his lies.—
Kristen Monroe,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
There is still time for a course correction, but not if the truth is drowned out with bullying and lies.—
Erick Erickson,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While the story takes place in contemporary times, some of the characters have extraordinary gifts and tell tall tales of a world beyond the realm of most people.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Its accounts of outsize personalities, judges’ infighting, culturally insensitive photo shoots, manipulative producing, network executives betraying producers who in turn betrayed talent—all of this comes standard with tales from the annals of the entertainment industry.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The jury winners this year hail from Mexico, India, Belgium, Japan, France, Italy and Germany, and their stories are set in scenic locales from Malaysia to Minneapolis.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2026
-
This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight.—
Rafaela Jinich,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fairy tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fairy%20tales. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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