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
-
Wessels catches gleams to follow not only in magical tales but in twinkling memories, sparkling wordplay, the films of silver-screen star Veronica Lake, and his charm of a daughter, the inspiration of a half-dozen poems that take their titles from spells.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Other folk tales trace them back to Noah's ark.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Big names like Amy Schumer as well as local legends and new up-and-coming talent perform here.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Masters at Augusta National will feature the world's best golfers vying for the green jacket, something previous legends, including Jack Nicklaus, have done multiple times in their careers.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For more than four decades, the Korean immigrant has worked at the shop near Travis Air Force Base, hearing countless stories of loss, sacrifice and heartbreak from military families and service members.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Paxton told stories about running for office for the first time and his 2023 impeachment.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just like ancient legends and myths, names have power.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
-
One of those myths—that lifting heavy weights will make women bulky—has persisted for decades.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The show weaves two parallel narratives with offbeat humor and an unexpected heartwarming realism.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
-
For example, anthropologist Brian Larkin documented how viewers in northern Nigeria rework the narratives of Bollywood films to align with local Islamic values.—
Gareth Barkin,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The group will highlight stories and histories from the United States and Central and South America as told through musical repertoire and historic instruments.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
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Though local histories differ, fossil capitalism and the imperialism that sustains it have produced a regional trauma carried across borders in memory, bodies and ecosystems.—
Mehrnoush Soroush,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
From Romeo and Juliet to Ennis and Jack, here’s a look at nine romances that have had the opposite of happy endings.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Their reunion proves to be more complicated and dramatic than romantic, leading Kitty to find new friends — and romances — while building a life in the South Korean city.—
Madeleine Janz,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Folktales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktales. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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