Phrase guide

fairy circle

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A circular patch barren of vegetation, often encircled by a ring of stimulated grass growth, typically found in regions of arid grassland.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Common in the arid grasslands of the Namib desert, particularly in Namibia, fairy circles were at first thought unique to that region; however, similar rings have been observed in a part of the Pilbara in Western Australia.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Synonym of fairy ring.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fairy ring

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a ring of fungi marking the periphery of the perennial underground growth of the mycelium

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fairy ring

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ring, halo, annulus, doughnut, anchor ring

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.