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
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
Later, the look became incorporated in folktales as the attire of grim reapers.
—Claire Wang, NBC news, 12 Oct. 2025
Hovering blue flames that flicker over bogs and marshes have inspired ghostly folktales for centuries.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
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
Later, the look became incorporated in folktales as the attire of grim reapers.
—Claire Wang, NBC news, 12 Oct. 2025
Hovering blue flames that flicker over bogs and marshes have inspired ghostly folktales for centuries.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folktales
Noun
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These are human stories first and foremost, tales of tragedy, struggle over adversity, and bittersweet romance.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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His whimsical and precisely-staged tales play on the artifice of cinema as much as on the heightened emotions of their characters.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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McCutchen aired out the Pirates on social media, comparing himself to other legends of teams throughout the league that go to functions set up each year.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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At these community events, monks and others wear intricate costumes and masks to act out the lore of historical legends.—
Amy Nelson,
Twin Cities,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Michael Venos, a 46-year-old database administrator from Roxbury, New Jersey, has been collecting stories of Groundhog Day events and their weather predictions for about a decade.—
Mark Scolforo,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
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Her goal is to improve the health of our community through easy-to-understand facts and real people's stories.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Emily Mendenhall traces the medical myths, gender bias, and neurological truths behind hysteria, one of history’s most damaging diagnoses.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
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For me, the idea of folklore actively encourages us to be less precious with our myths and legends, which is antithetical to how we’re made to believe storytelling should be today.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Their position ignored the Ukrainian perspective on the issue, thus excluding Ukrainians as the affected party from understanding and communicating current and historical narratives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In Georgia as in Minnesota, where administration statements about the fatal shootings have been contradicted by video evidence, its actions are underpinned by false narratives.—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Looking ahead, several companies with histories of beating analysts’ estimates will issue their quarterly reports next week, including Western Alliance and F5.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
24 Jan. 2026
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Commonly framed and told histories of Indigenous women such as Pocahontas and Sacagawea, who are associated with famous expeditions by white English settlers in North America, are clear examples.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The payoff was particularly good because the writers gave us the push-and-pull that defines all great TV romances.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
29 Jan. 2026
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While promoting her new tumultuous love story onscreen, Margot Robbie paid homage to one of Hollywood’s most passionate romances.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Folktales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktales. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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