as in tales
a traditional description of imaginary events circulated orally among a people
West African folktales that continue to be passed from generation to generation through storytelling
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Recent Examples of folktales
This ecology is woven into our folktales and culture.
—
Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The story, based on Venezuelan folktales, is exciting and thought-provoking.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
Below, see the streamer’s list of authors to watch, from contemporary folktales and family dramas to dark fantasy and spicy time travel tales.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
The company is also tapping into Asia’s rich pipeline of source material, from webtoons and web novels to traditional literature and folktales.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025
To keep her on track, Hero tells Cherry stories each night, loosely adapting the framework of the classic collection of Arabic folktales One Thousand and One Nights.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Atmospheric principles and folktales, spirit and substance, opposites and inversions.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The story centered on a young Palestinian man living in Jerusalem who must save his family after a Ghouleh, a female demon from his grandmother’s folktales, arrive in his town and threatens his home.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Freudians and evolutionary psychologists trawled folktales for evidence to shore up their theories.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The story, based on Venezuelan folktales, is exciting and thought-provoking.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
Below, see the streamer’s list of authors to watch, from contemporary folktales and family dramas to dark fantasy and spicy time travel tales.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
The company is also tapping into Asia’s rich pipeline of source material, from webtoons and web novels to traditional literature and folktales.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025
To keep her on track, Hero tells Cherry stories each night, loosely adapting the framework of the classic collection of Arabic folktales One Thousand and One Nights.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Atmospheric principles and folktales, spirit and substance, opposites and inversions.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The story centered on a young Palestinian man living in Jerusalem who must save his family after a Ghouleh, a female demon from his grandmother’s folktales, arrive in his town and threatens his home.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Freudians and evolutionary psychologists trawled folktales for evidence to shore up their theories.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folktales
Noun
-
Because either McCluskie is one heck of a con man who rolled both Becerra and Williamson, making both believe what was happening was kosher with entirely different tales, or someone isn’t being entirely honest.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
But even Black athletes whose athleticism gifted them an extremely exclusive express lane in life can tell you stories about growing up a minority in America, or tales their parents or grandparents have told.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Other Barca legends to net dead balls in Clasicos include Ronald Koeman and Ronaldinho.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
-
The former catcher was one of the six coaches fired last month following the team’s 10-17 start, so when the six Red Sox legends threw out their ceremonial first pitch, Martinez threw to current catcher Connor Wong instead of his former teammate.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Through their discussions, and the essays and stories that they were assigned to write each week, Heidi came to know her students’ pain.—
Nicholas Dawidoff,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
-
Each day, they are filled with one-dimensional stories of beatings, stabbing and shootings — all sad accounts of a city in decline.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Given the amount of misinformation on the internet about just about anything, the ability to distinguish accurate information from potentially harmful myths or scams is vital.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Some myths add that a woman who becomes a kuntilanak is one who also died a violent death, murdered and/or raped by men, and who now seeks revenge.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
Currently in post-production, the film combines Cambodian cultural narratives with English-language accessibility.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
-
Clark has pioneered new techniques in hybrid filmmaking—merging traditional production with GenAI tools—while also creating some of the most advanced fully generative narratives to date.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
But political ideologues from both the left and the right seem to prefer histories in which the United States is either all bad or all good.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
-
Set in a Himalayan village in Sikkim, the film traces the lives of women across three generations of a single family – their emotional inheritances, unspoken histories and daily negotiations.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Some of my favorite things about these characters is the friendships that form separate from the romances, and that also felt ripe for TV adaptation.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
-
People often assume that romances are the work of pure fantasy.—
Eloisa James,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Folktales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktales. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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