Thesaurus results for FOLKTALES

folktales

noun

plural of folktale

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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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 folktales This vast misshapen island was traditionally noted for ghosts, folktales, eccentricity, fish, and friendliness. — Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026 In Mexico, Yamel’s mother tells scary folktales to caution her against real-life dangers. — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 Almost all folktales are lessons about family, about roles and belonging. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026 The body horror of birth gives way to the fairy-tale horror of early motherhood, which McBride, a translator based in Barcelona, strews with literary Easter eggs from folktales and Victorian poetry. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Disney made its name on the back of fairy and folktales, retelling centuries-old stories and giving them a fresh new spin for modern audiences. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 July 2026 Irving may have been influenced by German folktales about a man who slept for 20 years, or European stories of terrifying headless riders, but these stories were set in rural New York state, with a distinctly American voice and references. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026 From causing supernatural events to creating hysteria, our orbiting nightlight has always had legends and folktales written about it. — Taylor Grothe, Parents, 28 June 2026 Traditionally played on string instruments like the dulcimer, fiddle, and banjo, this distinctly twangy genre passed down religious hymns, ballads, and folktales through generations. — Hillary Richard, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for folktales

Noun

If Crystal and Ellis had stayed on that tack — tales about the house at 860 bound together by a sense of its loss — 860 might have the sturdiness of a tearjerker.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
On the surface, his new album Antione’s Son is the same old same old—airy melodies, drug talk, vomiting ad-libs—but punched up by suburban ennui and in-the-weeds romantic tales that makes the music feel refreshingly personal.

— Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of tales

Noun

Knight is one of several aging music legends who have recently been the center of concerned conversation after on-stage appearances.

— Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
After admiring Lakers legends, Kessler can now be mentioned in the same breath.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of legends

Noun

In the 2021 Senate runoff elections in Georgia, this writer did a number of stories following forecasts by Thomas Miller, a prominent data scientist who’s a professor at Northwestern University.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Yet neither of these stories fits the timing or scale of the decline.

— J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of stories

Noun

Also intertwined are ancient myths of warring city-states, the raw, moody poetry of John Keats, and the modern battle between a faithless husband and his wife, the poem’s raging speaker.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
But Brigid also appears throughout the early Irish myths as a member of the aes sidhe.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of myths

Noun

Naturally, reviving some of these fraught narratives seem to have irked some mentioned in the book.

— Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
But what sticks is the potential of fanfic narratives, born of the desire to see resonant characters in new dynamics and situations.

— Emily Maskell, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of narratives

Noun

To see if those different histories made the monkeys more germophobic, the researchers presented individuals with two tasty treats — grapes.

— Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
The duo shared an apartment and both had extensive criminal histories, including theft and financial scams, across various states.

— Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of histories

Noun

But romances, especially of the sort SJM has written in the past, usually develop through tropes, such as enemies-to-lovers or second-chance romance.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
Monster romances embrace the transgression by offering up the most extreme scenarios possible to titillate and (on occasion) challenge prevailing mores.

— Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of romances

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folktale

folktales

follies

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“Folktales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktales. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of folktales

noun

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