Definition

Noun: 1. A story about magical creatures and imaginary lands, typically told to amuse children: This is the primary meaning, referring to a traditional story for children involving fantastical elements like fairies, giants, talking animals, and enchantment. 2. A highly implausible or fabricated story, often told as an excuse: This figurative meaning describes an account that is so fanciful or unlikely that it cannot be believed.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (children's story):
  • "She read a fairy tale about a princess and a dragon to her daughter at bedtime."
  • "Cinderella' is one of the most famous fairy tales in the world."
• Figurative meaning (implausible story):
  • "His explanation for being late was a complete fairy tale."
  • "The defendant's alibi sounded like a fairy tale to the jury."

Advanced Usage

• "fairy-tale" (adjective form): Used to describe something with the idealized, magical, or perfect qualities found in a traditional fairy tale.
  • "They had a fairy-tale wedding in a castle."
  • "Her rise to fame was a fairy-tale story of success."

Variants and Related Words

• Fable (n): A short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral lesson.
• Folktale (n): A traditional story passed down orally within a culture.
• Myth (n): A traditional story, often involving gods or heroes, explaining natural or social phenomena.
• Tall tale (n): An exaggerated, unreliable story.

Synonyms

• For a children's story: folk story, magical story, bedtime story.
• For an implausible story: fabrication, falsehood, cock-and-bull story, untruth.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• "A fairy-tale ending": An ending that is perfectly happy and ideal, as often found in fairy tales.
  • "After all their struggles, their life together had a fairy-tale ending."
• "Live in a fairy tale": To be unrealistic or out of touch with reality.
  • "If you think you'll get everything you want without working, you're living in a fairy tale."

Noun

1. an interesting but highly implausible story; often told as an excuse
2. a story about fairies; told to amuse children