sorcery

[sawr-suh-ree]

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

sorcery

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• sorcerous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorcery¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorcery¹

C13: from Old French sorcerie, from sorcier _sorcerer

Synonym Study

See magic.

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.

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But every time it looks like their magic has run out, they manage yet another bit of sorcery.

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What followed, from the first ball of the innings, bordered on sorcery.

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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.

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For Nancy it’s a kind of sorcery — to transform something with your bare hands, to will and work a space into being more beautiful than it was before.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When To Use

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.