fairy tale
UK /ˈfeəɹi ˌteɪl/ · US /ˈfɛɹi ˌteɪl/ noun
Forms fairy tales fairy-tale fairytale faerie tale
- noun A folktale or literary story featuring fairies or similar fantasy characters. “I used to love reading fairy tales when I was a child.”
- noun (uncountable) The literary genre of these stories.
- noun (figurative) A fabricated or misleading account meant to deceive, such as an exaggerated excuse. “He's telling us another fairy tale about how great the software will be.”
- noun (figurative) A delightful and ideal situation of a kind attained by very few. “I've been living in a fairy tale since I met Joe.”
Synonyms
Etymology
Calque of French conte de fées, coined by French writer Madame d'Aulnoy in the late 17th century.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “fairy tale”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details