as in lie
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
did you really see a bear, or are you telling us another one of your fairy tales?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fairy tale
Didn’t all young people go off to seek their fortune, like in the fairy tales?
—
Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026
The original Tangled was a retelling of the German fairy tale Rapunzel, about a lost princess who has 70 feet of magical hair and a desire to leave the tower that she's been locked up in for years.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
In the movies and in fairy tales, nobody was penalized for falling in love at first sight.
—Addie Citchens, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
The prospect of a fairy tale ending kept Kansas State guard Tess Heal from becoming overly discouraged, even as the Wildcats trailed Texas Tech by 14 late in a second-round game on Thursday at the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fairy tale
Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026
The original Tangled was a retelling of the German fairy tale Rapunzel, about a lost princess who has 70 feet of magical hair and a desire to leave the tower that she's been locked up in for years.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
In the movies and in fairy tales, nobody was penalized for falling in love at first sight.
—Addie Citchens, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
The prospect of a fairy tale ending kept Kansas State guard Tess Heal from becoming overly discouraged, even as the Wildcats trailed Texas Tech by 14 late in a second-round game on Thursday at the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fairy tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fairy tale
Noun
-
The Afghan Taliban’s constant lies.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Further in lies a 12-seater dining room and a living room with a soaring 43-foot-tall ceiling and massive arched windows that spotlight Big Apple landmarks like the Manhattan Municipal Building and One World Trade Center.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Because the Duggars adhere to a fundamentalist fringe of evangelicalism, the liberal media are often quick to use the family’s failings as a cautionary tale about Christianity in general, and conservatives can be too quick to interpret criticism of the family as criticism of the church.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
My 30s were a cautionary tale of bad relationship decisions.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and donors in South Florida’s Jewish and Muslim communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza and the Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fairy tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fairy%20tale. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
