sorcerous

Sorcerous means using or involving sorcery—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 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.

Sorcerous may or may not imply evil, but it usually implies great power—and often great skill and command of such power.

For this reason, the word sorcerous can be used in a figurative way to describe action that takes great skill, as if it’s a magical ability, as in Chris has sorcerous skill in coding. The word sorcery can be used to refer to such skill, and a person who’s skilled in this way can be called a sorcerer or a sorceress.

Example: I fear that some sorcerous power has enchanted this land.

The first records of the word sorcerous come from the 1540s. It ultimately comes from the Latin sortiārius, meaning “person who casts lots” (referring to a person who tells fortunes).

Fictionally speaking, sorcery is a magic (the kind with supernatural power, not the kind with card tricks). Sorcerers are often villains in the stories where they appear, but this is not always the case. Describing something as sorcerous only sometimes implies evil, but it always implies great magical power and skill. The figurative use of the word usually doesn’t imply evil. When you call someone’s cooking sorcerous, it’s a compliment meaning that they make magic in the kitchen with their great skill—not that they use their powers for evil.

What are some other forms related to sorcerous?

• sorcerously (adverb)
• sorcery (noun)

What are some synonyms for sorcerous?

• magical

What are some words that share a root or word element with sorcerous? 

• sorcerer
• sorceress
• ensorcell

What are some words that often get used in discussing sorcerous?

• evil
• powerful
• power
• conjure
• magician
• wizard
• witch
• spell
• fantasy
• skill

The word sorcerous can be used in the context of fantasy or in a figurative way, but it’s much less commonly used than sorcery, sorcerer, and sorceress.

My neighbors are not fans of my sorcerous nocturnal activities.

— Graves Make RosesBloom (@GregRozeboom) July 2, 2020

The heavy gray clouds scuddle across the bleak skyline, pregnant with snow—snow that relentlessly makes its way to the very Earth that will destroy it the moment it lands, its ephemeral and almost sorcerous construction melting into the unforgiving concrete slabs it lands upon

— Brian Ambrozy 🌹 (@primesuspect) November 13, 2018

this OED belonged to my parents. As a child, they seemed like sorcerous tomes.

They still do.

— David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) July 1, 2020

True or False? 

Describing something as sorcerous always means that it’s evil.