cantrip

noun

Definition of cantripnext
chiefly Scottish
as in incantation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cantrip
  1. incantation
  2. invocation
  3. spell
  4. curse
  5. conjuration
  6. jinx
  7. enchantment
  8. sorcery
Noun
  • Instead, the government simply repeats its incantation of a need to modernize the system and uncover fraud.
    — Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2025
  • This outsider ritually led a wild bull, magically and temporarily tamed by incantation, through the streets, drawing ever closer to the Vatican, until he was finally arrested by papal authorities.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Sep. 2024
Definition of incantation
Noun
  • The Trump administration has argued that the invocation of the law is a justified, lawful, and protects US interests.
    — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 31 Mar. 2025
  • As with the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, the last time a President had attempted to fire a commissioner over mere policy differences was during the Roosevelt Administration.
    — Cristian Farias, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of invocation
Noun
  • The film failed to cast a spell on audiences with total takings of $87.3 million in its opening weekend, 13% less than forecast.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
  • Alas, the more likely scenario is that this plague will drag on and on: a runny nose, a sore throat, a lingering fever, a brief spell of feeling better that ends when your daughter tells you her ear hurts.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2025
Definition of spell
Noun
  • Growing up, that identity crisis used to feel like such a curse for me.
    — Becky G, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2025
  • One important lesson from the movies is that curses are made to be broken.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of curse
Noun
  • Most of the recipients dismissed the composer as a crank, but a few were spellbound by his transcendentalist conjurations, and a cult began to grow.
    — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Theater is a more symbolic space, a conjuration of lights and plywood, which offered Comer a kind of freedom.
    — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2023
Definition of conjuration
Noun
  • This gave Mahomes the go ahead to change up his hairstyle without worrying about a potential jinx.
    — Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
  • And while some Kansas City fans (and McAfee) may be worried that a haircut could put a jinx on the team, #15 already had that worked out.
    — Effie Orfanides, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025
Definition of jinx
Noun
  • At first glance, however, Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with its whimsical magic and fantastical elements, is an unlikely fit for Soviet children’s literature, which favored themes of hard work and collective struggle over wish fulfillment and enchantment.
    — Christin Bohnke, JSTOR Daily, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Sometimes Goodman seems a little too audibly aware of the enchantment of her formula.
    — Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2025
Definition of enchantment
Noun
  • Generating sophisticated charts or extracting hidden insights was a form of sorcery few dared to question.
    — Florian Douetteau, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • The act was short and provided few details about what constituted witchcraft, sorcery or necromancy.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of sorcery
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

cantors
cantrip
cantrips
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Cite this Entry

“Cantrip.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cantrip. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.

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