faerie

noun

fa·​er·​ie ˈfā-(ə-)rē How to pronounce faerie (audio)
ˈfer-ē
variants or less commonly faery
plural faeries
faery adjective

Examples of faerie in a Sentence

in ancient folklore faeries were often portrayed as powerful beings who could wreak havoc on the lives of humans
Recent Examples on the Web Where her earlier collections were anchored by a zany, wondrous youthfulness (as well as vampires, faeries, and other fantastical genre staples), this one seems to convey: Never fear, aging has entertaining horrors all its own. Anita Felicelli, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023 Absinthe drinkers talk about seeing the green faerie. Kevin Grazier, Discover Magazine, 13 Oct. 2010 Elusive, childlike and literally untouchable, Trelia seems more a creature of faerie than a human being. Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2022 During his military service, Philo met and fell in love with the faerie Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne). Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 7 Nov. 2022 The faerie bit deep into the rich, smoky chocolate-and-bacon-covered strawberry at a stand just past the smithies, the privies and the stage where maidens fair and noble gentlemen link arms and dance English ceilidhs in celebration of spring. Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2022 But during their quest, her reluctant allyship with him turns into love, and she's forced to ultimately fight for that love when an ancient curse threatens to destroy the faerie and human realms. Emma Dibdin, Town & Country, 14 Jan. 2022 So Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez circled each other in a maze of LED lights; Taylor Swift, Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff reveled in their joint faerie cottagecore fantasies. Raisa Bruner, Time, 15 Mar. 2021 Costume contest for the best faerie or mermaid with a $100 cash prize. René A. Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 6 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'faerie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fairie — more at fairy

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of faerie was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near faerie

Cite this Entry

“Faerie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faerie. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

faerie

noun
fa·​er·​ie
variants also faery
ˈfā-(ə-)rē How to pronounce faerie (audio)
ˈfa(ə)r-ē,
ˈfe(ə)r-ē
plural faeries
: fairy
faery adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on faerie

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