wizard
Americannoun
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wizards
plural
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a person who practices magic; magician or sorcerer.
- Synonyms:
- diviner, thaumaturge, necromancer, enchanter
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a conjurer or juggler.
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Also whiz, wiz a person of amazing skill or accomplishment.
a wizard at chemistry.
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Computers. a software feature that guides users through complex procedures with step-by-step instructions, often presented in dialog boxes.
noun
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a male witch or a man who practises or professes to practise magic or sorcery
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a person who is outstandingly clever in some specified field; expert
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obsolete a wise man
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computing a computer program that guides a user through a complex task
adjective
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informal superb; outstanding
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of or relating to a wizard or wizardry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of wizard
First recorded in 1400–50, late Middle English wisard; see wise 1, -ard
Explanation
A wizard is a kind of magician. A wise man who can perform magic spells in a fairy tale or fantasy novel is often described as a wizard. One of the most famous fictional wizards is Harry Potter, who first learns of his magical abilities when Hagrid says, "Harry — yer a wizard." Sometimes wizards are described as male versions of witches, while other stories use the term as a gender-neutral name for anyone with magical powers. Colloquially, you might call someone a wizard if they're truly amazing at what they do (even if it's not magic): "She's a wizard at dog training!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It felt like a familiar reset—the wizard finding a way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
I walked up to the wizard and asked him, “What do they call you?”
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
Then again, the Argentine wizard now playing at his sixth World Cup has never had much trouble losing his defender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Tolkien’s iconic wizard since 2014’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
“Professor Slughorn is an extremely able wizard who will be expecting both,” said Dumbledore.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: At a train platform at King’s Cross station in London, a secret portal leads to a hidden world of wizards, trolls, ghosts and other wonders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
No, that doesn’t mean the wizards in robes are doing magic.
From Slate ● Feb. 28, 2026
The four men left for Russia through a Kenyan recruitment agency, Global Face Human Resources, which boasts on its website: "Let our HR wizards connect you to exciting opportunities".
From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026
No stranger to the world of wizards, he previously appeared in the 2004 film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
He’d heard about witches who had things they called books of cantos and wizards with books of spells, but nothing about enchanted books.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
