Sorcery
noun /ˈsɔː.sər.i/ — The use of magic, especially dark or harmful magic
Definition
The practice of magic — especially magic that draws on supernatural or diabolical power, or is used for harmful purposes. The art of working beyond natural causes.
Beyond the definition
The word for power that operates outside the rules. Sorcery is magic that doesn't explain itself — and refuses to be tested.
Origin & history
From Old French 'sorcerie', from 'sorcier' (sorcerer) — from Medieval Latin 'sortiarius' (one who influences fate), from 'sors' (fate, lot). Sorcery is the manipulation of fate.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The accusation of sorcery has been used throughout history to destroy anyone who behaved unexpectedly.
Some marketing is indistinguishable from sorcery: the product doesn't change, but the desire is summoned from nothing.
There is a kind of sorcery in great performance: you watch someone do something that cannot quite be explained.
Synonyms
witchcraft, magic, wizardry, necromancy, conjuring
Antonyms
science, reason, explainability
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Complex Trial of Dangerous Magic
An adult stands before a complex, stone-walled maze with a dark, imposing guardian figure at the entrance, conveying a sense of dangerous trial.
Sorcery is the art of magic, often used for harmful or supernatural purposes. The dark maze and its imposing, magical-seeming guardian act as an analogy for the world of sorcery: it is a complex, dangerous, and intentionally bewildering construct designed to challenge the protagonist and test their ability to navigate the unknown.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration