as in tales
a traditional description of imaginary events circulated orally among a people
West African folktales that continue to be passed from generation to generation through storytelling
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Recent Examples of folktales
This ecology is woven into our folktales and culture.
—
Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The story, based on Venezuelan folktales, is exciting and thought-provoking.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
Below, see the streamer’s list of authors to watch, from contemporary folktales and family dramas to dark fantasy and spicy time travel tales.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
The company is also tapping into Asia’s rich pipeline of source material, from webtoons and web novels to traditional literature and folktales.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025
To keep her on track, Hero tells Cherry stories each night, loosely adapting the framework of the classic collection of Arabic folktales One Thousand and One Nights.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Atmospheric principles and folktales, spirit and substance, opposites and inversions.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The story centered on a young Palestinian man living in Jerusalem who must save his family after a Ghouleh, a female demon from his grandmother’s folktales, arrive in his town and threatens his home.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Freudians and evolutionary psychologists trawled folktales for evidence to shore up their theories.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The story, based on Venezuelan folktales, is exciting and thought-provoking.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
Below, see the streamer’s list of authors to watch, from contemporary folktales and family dramas to dark fantasy and spicy time travel tales.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
The company is also tapping into Asia’s rich pipeline of source material, from webtoons and web novels to traditional literature and folktales.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025
To keep her on track, Hero tells Cherry stories each night, loosely adapting the framework of the classic collection of Arabic folktales One Thousand and One Nights.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Atmospheric principles and folktales, spirit and substance, opposites and inversions.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The story centered on a young Palestinian man living in Jerusalem who must save his family after a Ghouleh, a female demon from his grandmother’s folktales, arrive in his town and threatens his home.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Freudians and evolutionary psychologists trawled folktales for evidence to shore up their theories.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folktales
Noun
-
Wessels catches gleams to follow not only in magical tales but in twinkling memories, sparkling wordplay, the films of silver-screen star Veronica Lake, and his charm of a daughter, the inspiration of a half-dozen poems that take their titles from spells.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Other folk tales trace them back to Noah's ark.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Several comedy legends made cameos during his monologue to celebrate.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The show stars Tony winner André de Shields and vogueing legends Junior Labeija, Dava Huesca, Baby Byrne and Leiomy.—
Richard Johnson,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Often, this is a useful guideline, and limits, in general, are very much the friend of the fiction writer, but there are certain stories that benefit from a sense of instability.—
Nina Mesfin,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
As is common in the policing profession, officers and supervisors sometimes share experiences and stories for a variety of reasons.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Still, myths and misconceptions are persistent.—
Emily Maskell,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Ashland represents the culmination of a long journey exploring the magic of the American West and the myths that reside therein.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The show weaves two parallel narratives with offbeat humor and an unexpected heartwarming realism.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
-
For example, anthropologist Brian Larkin documented how viewers in northern Nigeria rework the narratives of Bollywood films to align with local Islamic values.—
Gareth Barkin,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Now, though, with the widespread circulation of magic manuals, grimoires, and related compendia—with the recording, on paper, of words, spells, histories, stories—witchcraft has taken an irreversible step into the exoteric realm.—
Kristen Roupenian,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
These substances have long histories of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine, says Naidoo, but are today rarely consumed in their raw form.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
From Romeo and Juliet to Ennis and Jack, here’s a look at nine romances that have had the opposite of happy endings.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Their reunion proves to be more complicated and dramatic than romantic, leading Kitty to find new friends — and romances — while building a life in the South Korean city.—
Madeleine Janz,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Folktales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktales. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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