Definition of "fairy tale" [fairy tale]

• A fanciful tale of legendary deeds and creatures, usually intended for children. (noun)
• A fictitious, highly fanciful story or explanation. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The pennons, the decked-out, high-stepping horses, the ermines and velvets are all part of fairy tale now."
• "I faintly hope that at the last moment, as in a fairy tale when the princess is about to perish, there will appear a handsome huel on a white stallion, a savior who will deliver me into the shining kingdom of English."
• "It would seem that Wyatt/Dr. Mitchell-Smith presents us with a cognitive Möbius strip, enacting in one phase of his life a fairy tale about masculinity, while in another phase contributing to our understanding of the medieval origins of such narratives."