Thesaurus results for FOLKTALES

folktales

noun

plural of folktale

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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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of folktales This vast misshapen island was traditionally noted for ghosts, folktales, eccentricity, fish, and friendliness. — Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026 In Mexico, Yamel’s mother tells scary folktales to caution her against real-life dangers. — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 Almost all folktales are lessons about family, about roles and belonging. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026 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 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 From causing supernatural events to creating hysteria, our orbiting nightlight has always had legends and folktales written about it. — Taylor Grothe, Parents, 28 June 2026 Traditionally played on string instruments like the dulcimer, fiddle, and banjo, this distinctly twangy genre passed down religious hymns, ballads, and folktales through generations. — Hillary Richard, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for folktales

Noun

In your garden-variety ghost story, the protagonist is generally the haunted, not the haunt, and the tales themselves are generally about how unhappy the protagonist is to find he or she is haunted.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
Soon, tales of loss, memory and hopeful closure become central to the buildup, along with worried feelings of climbers’ loved ones.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of tales

Noun

Harmless stories, dangerous behavior Some datasets explored seemingly ordinary subjects, including beekeeping, professional wrestling, and historical public-health cases.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
Pedestrians can peer down through a 2- to 3-foot-wide crevice and see stories down to the railroad tracks.

— Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of stories

Noun

Also intertwined are ancient myths of warring city-states, the raw, moody poetry of John Keats, and the modern battle between a faithless husband and his wife, the poem’s raging speaker.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
But Brigid also appears throughout the early Irish myths as a member of the aes sidhe.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of myths

Noun

Research by Harvard Business School Professor Ranjay Gulati found that courageous and effective leaders create positive narratives that guide them through chaos, often recasting their work as a mission.

— Olivia Ludington, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Those narratives, of course, were only knowable after the fact.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of narratives

Noun

Two parallel histories have shaped electronic music; one runs through clubs and the other through conservatories.

— Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 31 Oct. 2026
Bullish investors say that the tech leaders have long histories of operations, and legacy businesses that are dominant enough to prop them up for the foreseeable future.

— Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of histories

Noun

But romances, especially of the sort SJM has written in the past, usually develop through tropes, such as enemies-to-lovers or second-chance romance.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
Monster romances embrace the transgression by offering up the most extreme scenarios possible to titillate and (on occasion) challenge prevailing mores.

— Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of romances

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folktale

folktales

follies

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“Folktales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktales. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of folktales

noun

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