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Synonyms

black magic

American  

noun

  1. magic used for evil purposes; witchcraft; sorcery (contrasted with white magic).


black magic British  

noun

  1. magic used for evil purposes by invoking the power of the devil

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

“It was like magic the first time we sang together. Like some black magic voodoo sort of vibes,” Evan added.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

The musicians metamorphosed into their final form: Adopting the name Black Sabbath, after a low-budget Boris Karloff film of the same name, they started writing lyrics that dabbled in death, black magic and mental illness.

From BBC • Jul. 23, 2025

There’s something darkly compelling about watching someone discard the rules and norms that limit the rest of us, as if imperviousness to shame were a form of black magic.

From New York Times • Nov. 8, 2023

“Could it be a genie, could be black magic? We’ll never know.”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 15, 2023

So that was the way Set started—Set the god of evil and black magic.

From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

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