sorcery

American  

[sawr-suh-ree] / ˈsɔr sə ri /

noun

plural

sorceries

1. the art, practices, or spells of a person who is supposed to exercise supernatural powers through the aid of evil spirits; black magic; witchery.

   Synonyms:

   enchantment

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sorcery British  

/ ˈsɔːsərɪ /

noun

1. the art, practices, or spells of magic, esp black magic, by which it is sought to harness occult forces or evil spirits in order to produce preternatural effects in the world

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Usage

What does sorcery mean? Sorcery is supernatural power or the ability to use supernatural powers—witchcraft or magic. The word sorcery often (though not always) refers to so-called black magic—magic used for evil purposes. A person who can perform sorcery is called a sorcerer (which can be used for any gender, but typically refers to a man) or a sorceress (which refers to a woman). Sorcerer and sorceress are often used to refer to evil characters in works of fiction, especially in the “sword and sorcery” 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 it’s used for good or evil, the words sorcery implies great power—and often great skill and command of such power. For this reason, the word sorcery is sometimes used in a figurative way to refer to great skill in something, as if it’s a magical ability, as in Chris’s skill in coding is straight-up sorcery. The word wizardry is used (even more commonly) in the same way. A person who’s skilled in this way can be called a wizard, a sorcerer, or a sorceress. Example: I fear that some evil sorcery has enchanted this land.

Related Words

See magic.

Other Word Forms

• sorcerous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sorcery

1250–1300; Middle English sorcerie, from Medieval Latin sorceria. See sorcerer, -y ³

Compare meaning

How does sorcery compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• sorcery vs. witchcraft

Explanation

Using spells, believing in evil spirits, and other examples of witchcraft are all part of sorcery. Sorcery is popular with wizards and witches and anyone else with a bubbling caldron. The Latin sors for "fate" shows up in the word sorcery, which is a way to try to affect fate through unnatural, evil ways. If you've checked out any fantasy books or movies, you've probably seen sorcery in action, which is practiced by witches, warlocks, and members of the occult. Turning an annoying neighbor into a ferret would be an example of sorcery.

Example Sentences

Point guard Donovan Dent, the last of UCLA’s regular starters to enter the game against Sacramento State on Tuesday, redeemed himself with some offensive sorcery against Presbyterian.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2025

The Korshak Collection focuses on European and American works of fantasy, broadly incorporating all “what if” genres: science fiction, high fantasy, sword and sorcery, fairy tales, horror and more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

His daughter, Susan, dives into some of the most celebrated fiction of the 20th century, her father’s life and his unique sorcery on the page.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

Later, I also discovered a scammer using 21st Century sorcery - deepfake technology with a woman he had hired, Rachel, acting as the face of the con.

From BBC • Oct. 5, 2025

Whether patients believed that TB came from sorcery or germs spread by coughing didn’t seem to matter nearly as much as their material circumstances.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French