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

Around the world women and organizations such as AfAW, Stop Sorcery Violence in Papua New Guinea and the women's leadership nonprofit Anandi in Gujarat, India, are fighting back against witch-hunting.

From Scientific American • May 31, 2023

"Sorcery certainly plays into some of the attitudes that people have."

From BBC • May 2, 2021

Mr. Willman, as ſeen in the Trailer, performs great and terrible Feats of Witchcraft and Sorcery, heedleſs of the Damnation that muſt ſurely follow, viz.:

From Slate • Aug. 12, 2018

A version of this review appears in print on March 1, 2014, on page C5 of the with the headline: A Shakespearean Mash-Up With Scintillations of Sorcery .

From New York Times • Feb. 28, 2014

"I do not know. Sorcery, some dark magic, there was a shadow, a shadow."

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin