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
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
There’s Miles, a scholar of Russian folktales who can’t focus on his dissertation; his wife Kate, an English professor grappling with an illness; their two children, Olive and Wesley; and their dog Giuseppe.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Hovering blue flames that flicker over bogs and marshes have inspired ghostly folktales for centuries.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Students learn about everything from food and traditions to dance and folktales from around Latin America.
—Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Sep. 2025
Her mother, an enslaved woman whose name is lost to history, had been a storyteller, too, regaling the girl with folktales on the Maryland plantation where she was born in the mid-nineteenth century.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 15 Sep. 2025
From causing supernatural events to creating hysteria, our orbiting nightlight has always had legends and folktales written about it.
—Taylor Grothe, Parents, 27 Aug. 2025
His work includes Tokyo Cancelled (2005), a collection of contemporary folktales, and a novel, Solo (2009), which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (2010).
—Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
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
There’s Miles, a scholar of Russian folktales who can’t focus on his dissertation; his wife Kate, an English professor grappling with an illness; their two children, Olive and Wesley; and their dog Giuseppe.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Hovering blue flames that flicker over bogs and marshes have inspired ghostly folktales for centuries.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Students learn about everything from food and traditions to dance and folktales from around Latin America.
—Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Sep. 2025
Her mother, an enslaved woman whose name is lost to history, had been a storyteller, too, regaling the girl with folktales on the Maryland plantation where she was born in the mid-nineteenth century.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 15 Sep. 2025
From causing supernatural events to creating hysteria, our orbiting nightlight has always had legends and folktales written about it.
—Taylor Grothe, Parents, 27 Aug. 2025
His work includes Tokyo Cancelled (2005), a collection of contemporary folktales, and a novel, Solo (2009), which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (2010).
—Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folktales
Noun
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Its interconnected tales, which evoke campfire stories and urban legends, wring morbid laughs and genuine scares in much the same fashion as Tales From the Crypt.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Make a pit stop in SoHo at The Dominick where a vintage phone booth in the lobby awaits, outfitted with a Haunted Hotline that tells chilling tales inspired by NYC.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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From viral hits to iconic music legends, the remaining couples will dance through a variety of creative challenges, culminating in the finale.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Beloved legends elaborated, not debunked Zarka is expanding her role as an authority on all matters monster with a book on cryptids.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The thrill of the unexplained is what prompts so many to take ghost tours, which often tell juicy and sometimes goosebump-inducing stories that give historic sites a richer context.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
22 Oct. 2025
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Those stories kept the massive, icy North American territory in his mind until this year.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But today’s prevailing cowboy image also highlights how cultural myths are continuously upcycled and resold, regardless of their origins.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
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Arizona is home to numerous local legends, myths, and supernatural tales.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The festival, once primarily a domestic retail driver, is now a global luxury moment — reflecting how Indian cultural capital is shaping not just regional, but international brand narratives.—
Mayu Saini,
Footwear News,
18 Oct. 2025
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The current major storylines, such as the implosion of The Vision and the scramble for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, are examples of the layered narratives that AI has historically struggled to comprehend.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There are cozy romances and dark romances.—
Karen Ostergren,
The Atlantic,
13 Oct. 2025
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The football star keeps his love life out of the spotlight and has not publicly commented on his romances.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Folktales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktales. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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