folktale

noun

folk·​tale ˈfōk-ˌtāl How to pronounce folktale (audio)
: 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
According to the scholar Maria Tatar, these were folktales shared among adults after hours, while the children were asleep. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024 However, her family exposed her to the folktales and histories of India, where her great-grandparents were born. Gameli Hamelo, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019 Under billows of pale grey rock, a neat little wooden sauna hut appears, as if out of a folktale, next to a subterranean lake of luminescent blue. Rick Jordan, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Oct. 2024 Much of it reflected traditional folktales and mythology of the real world; there’s even a detailed creation myth, featuring a clash between gods. Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for folktale 

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of folktale was in 1850

Dictionary Entries Near folktale

Cite this Entry

“Folktale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folktale. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

folktale

noun
folk·​tale -ˌtāl How to pronounce folktale (audio)
: a story made up and handed down by the common people

More from Merriam-Webster on folktale

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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