: 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 ZimmermanExamples 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 Web
Diana Pearl, People.com, 24 May 2025
Downstairs on the fairy-tale terrace, over an exorbitant Scottish cheese board, her mother and husband and sister were all screaming at one another.
—Patricia Lockwood, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025
Step into a real-life fairy tale in your own château, float down peaceful canals, and discover some of Europe’s wildest and most beautiful coastlines.
—Eleanor Aldridge, AFAR Media, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fairy-tale
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Adjective
From Hilary Duff's fairy-tale ball gown in A Cinderella Story to one-of-a-kind designs in recent teen dramas, check out some of the most scene-stealing prom dresses.
—Diana Pearl, People.com, 24 May 2025
Downstairs on the fairy-tale terrace, over an exorbitant Scottish cheese board, her mother and husband and sister were all screaming at one another.
—Patricia Lockwood, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
Noun
Needless to say, Bennett needed a bit more time to process the fairy tale evening, one that came after turning heads in such roles as Alex Garland’s Warfare, Issa Lopez’s True Detective opposite Jodie Foster and Joe Barton’s Black Doves opposite Keira Knightley and Ben Wishaw.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025
Step into a real-life fairy tale in your own château, float down peaceful canals, and discover some of Europe’s wildest and most beautiful coastlines.
—Eleanor Aldridge, AFAR Media, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fairy-tale
Cite this Entry
“Fairy-tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fairy-tale. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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