# fairy

/ˈfɛɹi/ (US) · /fˈeəɹi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fairy
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. magical creature

noun · CEFR B1

a small, magical creature in stories that looks like a person and often has wings.

For teachers: a mythical being of folklore and legend, typically depicted as having magical powers and a human-like form.

- The children believed that a fairy lived at the bottom of the garden.
- Victorian illustrators often reimagined the fairy as a tiny, winged sprite, a departure from the more dangerous beings found in earlier Celtic folklore.

### 3. delicate or whimsical

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

looking or feeling like a fairy; very light, delicate, or magical.

For teachers: resembling or characteristic of a fairy, particularly in terms of being fanciful, whimsical, or physically delicate.

- The dancer moved with a fairy grace that captivated the entire audience.
- The morning frost had created fairy patterns on the windowpane, intricate and fragile enough to vanish at a single touch.

## Examples

- The child believes a fairy lives at the bottom of the garden.
- In many traditional European folk tales, a fairy might help a hero or play a trick on a traveler.
- The author draws heavily on Celtic mythology, populating the forest with a variety of fairy creatures that are far more dangerous than those found in modern children's books.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.