: a characteristically anonymous, timeless, and placeless tale circulated orally among a people
Examples of folktale in a Sentence
West African folktales that continue to be passed from generation to generation through storytelling.
Recent Examples on the Web
Deeply invested in völkisch memory, German scholars envisioned the Gospel writers as culling and refining oral tradition, much like the Brothers Grimm, who collected and transcribed folktales.
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Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Those folktales reflect how Mo is feeling and what's going on in his life and alleviate his sadness or grief or anger.
—Malaka Gharib, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025
Through its breathtaking cinematography and immersive storytelling, The Shepherd and the Bear is a modern folktale about tradition, community and humanity’s relationship with a vanishing natural world.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025
This is the frame story of One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folktales—including the stories of Aladdin, Ali Baba and Sinbad—that highlight the power of storytelling.
—Ron Shachar, Scientific American, 7 Mar. 2025
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Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Those folktales reflect how Mo is feeling and what's going on in his life and alleviate his sadness or grief or anger.
—Malaka Gharib, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025
Through its breathtaking cinematography and immersive storytelling, The Shepherd and the Bear is a modern folktale about tradition, community and humanity’s relationship with a vanishing natural world.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025
This is the frame story of One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folktales—including the stories of Aladdin, Ali Baba and Sinbad—that highlight the power of storytelling.
—Ron Shachar, Scientific American, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folktale
Cite this Entry
“Folktale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folktale. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
folktale
noun
folk·tale
-ˌtāl 
: a story made up and handed down by the common people
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