sorcerer
Americannoun
-
sorcerers
plural
noun
Usage
What does sorcerer mean? A sorcerer is a person who can perform sorcery—witchcraft or magic. The word sorcerer can be used for any gender, but it typically refers to a man. The word sorceress refers to a woman who performs sorcery. The word sorcery often (though not always) refers to so-called black magic—magic used for evil purposes. That’s why sorcerer and sorceress are often used to refer to evil characters in works of fiction, especially in the fantasy genre. In contrast, similar words like wizard and magician usually imply that such figures use their powers for good. If not, you’d usually call them an evil wizard or evil magician. Apart from whether or not they use their supernatural powers for good or evil, the words sorcerer and sorceress often imply that such a person is very powerful due to having great skill and command of such powers. For this reason, the word sorcerer is sometimes used in a figurative way to refer to a person who is very skilled at something, as if they have magical abilities, as in Chris is a sorcerer at coding. The word sorcery can be used to refer to such skill. The words wizard and wizardry are used (even more commonly) in the same ways. Example: The sorcerer has cast a powerful spell to enchant this land.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sorcerer
1520–30; earlier sorcer, Middle English < Middle French sorcier, perhaps < Vulgar Latin *sortiārius one who casts lots, equivalent to Latin sort- (stem of sors ) lot, fate + -i- -i- + -ārius -ier 2; see -er 1
Compare meaning
How does sorcerer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Magical, mysterious, and quite possibly mythical, a sorcerer is a name for a spell-casting wizard. Use the noun sorcerer when you're talking about a magician who practices enchantments and conjures spells. Sorcerers appear in many fantasy novels and Shakespeare plays. The word for a female sorcerer is sorceress. The Latin word sors, "fate or fortune," is at the root of sorcerer, which didn't come into popular use until after the 1940 release of the Disney film "Fantasia," which featured Mickey Mouse as the character "the sorcerer's apprentice."
Vocabulary lists containing sorcerer
Fish in a Tree
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The Ch'i-lin Purse
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Magical Vocabulary
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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:
Given the actor's "Jujutsu Kaisen" role as a stoic, elite sorcerer that made his voice "highly recognisable in Europe", Ueno believes the verdict "will garner a lot of international interest".
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
An evil sorcerer is the last person you'd expect to see at an economic forum.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
Directed by the sly sorcerer of all things weird, Yorgos Lanthimos, this powerful satirical fable is a refreshing take on the alien-attack movie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
The question is how deep her team can go in a bracket that includes defending national champion Louisiana State and Iowa and its scoring sorcerer, Caitlin Clark.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
The shaman—the sorcerer, medicine man, one who acts as a medium between the visible world and the spirit world—gave my father a list of things I must do during my lifetime.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
Alys Tanner has been condemned as a witch in 18th century New England and escapes to captain an all-female crew of sorcerers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2025
His latest scene-stealing role is in the AMC series “Mayfair Witches,” where he plays Cortland Mayfair, the patriarch of a long line of powerful sorcerers trying to survive in modern-day New Orleans.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2025
Around the king’s town are domed buildings and groves and thickets where the sorcerers of these people, men in charge of the religious cult, live.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
In an email, Mr. Hernandez wrote that his work was a reflection of his personal history, “full of myths, sorcerers and healers, of nahuales or spirits, open fires and herbs.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2022
But sorcerers were just people who had gotten very good at their gifted magic.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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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.
