adjective
fey
FAY/feɪ/
Having a strange, fairy-like quality.
Her fey smile gives her the look of a woodland sprite.
Etymology
The ancestor was Old English fæge and/or Old Norse feigr, both meaning “doomed to die.” Unearthly behavior thought to foreshadow death supplied the bridge to the modern otherworldly quality.
More examples
- The actor brings a fey charm to the mysterious stranger.
- A fey melody drifts from the old music box.
- With its fey characters, the story feels like a waking dream.
Forms
fey · feyer · feyest
feyness noun — The quality of seeming strange and otherworldly.
Similar words
- otherworldly
- Suggests being outside ordinary experience, without necessarily resembling fairies.
- ethereal
- Emphasizes delicate, airy beauty rather than strangeness.