: characteristic of or suitable to a fairy tale
especially
: marked by seemingly unreal beauty, perfection, luck, or happiness
led a fairy-tale life
a store clerk's fairy-tale romance
1
a
: a story (as for children) involving fantastic forces and beings (such as fairies, wizards, and goblins)
enjoyed the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid"
called also fairy story
b
: a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending
those balletic fairy tales in which a new corps member steps in for an injured principal at the last minute and delivers a splendid performance—
Margaret Willis
Margaret Willis2
: a made-up story usually designed to mislead
an old-fashioned fairy tale depicting revolutionists as demigods—Jonathan Zimmerman
Jonathan ZimmermanSynonyms
Examples of fairy-tale in a Sentence
Noun
the fairy tale about the sleeping princess
Everything he told us about his happy marriage was just a fairy tale.
Recent Examples on the WebKari Sonde, TIME, 21 May 2024
And rarely has any Bridgerton heroine looked dreamier than Penelope, adorned by costume designer John Glazer in shimmering, elaborate constructions that read more fairy-tale fantasy than prim historical drama.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024
Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 24 May 2024
While Rise of Red is not a direct continuation of the 1997 movie, Brandy and Montalban still get to play out a future for the beloved fairy tale icons, long after their happily ever after.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 23 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for fairy-tale 
Adjective
The assault is never discussed again, which is problematic though consistent with the fairy-tale tone of the series.
—Kari Sonde, TIME, 21 May 2024
And rarely has any Bridgerton heroine looked dreamier than Penelope, adorned by costume designer John Glazer in shimmering, elaborate constructions that read more fairy-tale fantasy than prim historical drama.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024
Noun
Loosely adapted from a short story by Mary Gaitskill, this is a tender, perceptive fairy tale about erotic love, with some very good spanking scenes.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 24 May 2024
While Rise of Red is not a direct continuation of the 1997 movie, Brandy and Montalban still get to play out a future for the beloved fairy tale icons, long after their happily ever after.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 23 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for fairy-tale
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fairy-tale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fairy-tale
Cite this Entry
“Fairy-tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fairy-tale. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
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