evocation

evo·ca·tion | \ ˌē-vō-ˈkā-shən

How to pronounce evocation (audio)

, ˌe-və- \

Definition of evocation

1 : the act or fact of evoking : summoning: such as

a : the summoning of a spirit

b : imaginative recreation an evocation of the past

2 : induction sense 3c

Other Words from evocation Example Sentences Learn More about evocation

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of evocation in a Sentence

rich evocations of the sights, sounds, and smells of the carnival the evocation of a simpler time

Recent Examples on the Web But his evocation of that speech is more meaningful than Trump can have consciously intended. — Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, "The Unpresident and the Unredeemed Promise," 12 June 2020 With most of us confined to our homes, music — whatever our tastes — becomes a welcome distraction, a soothing for our anxieties or an evocation of happier times. — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, "Set in a gathering epidemic, Britten’s ‘Death in Venice’ is newly timely," 15 Apr. 2020 Biden’s constant evocation of his former boss has become a joke, with many twisting the former vice president’s burn on Rudy Giuliani: Every sentence includes a noun, a verb, and Barack Obama. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "The Pragmatic Roots of Biden’s Incoherence," 18 Sep. 2019 The device is a surprisingly effective evocation of the discombobulation of its amnesiac hero, Leonard, whose memory wipes every ten minutes, leaving him only his sense memory for guidance. — Tom Shone, The New Yorker, "Can Christopher Nolan Save the Summer?," 28 May 2020 Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar may be the most famous evocation of depression in fiction. — Nicole Rudick, The New York Review of Books, "A Witch’s Demons," 29 Apr. 2020 Each is, in its own idiosyncratic way, an irresistible evocation of a person, an ethos and a type of music, and all can be found from various sources here and there. — Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: Glenn Gould’s decades-old radio documentaries still resonate. Podcasters, take note," 22 Apr. 2020 Even the evocations of a new crush were rendered with the gently open eyes of maturity; expressions of joy and loss alike emerged from the balanced perspective of a healthy, happy middle age. — Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, "Review: From a Veteran Singer to a Newcomer, a Note of Welcome," 6 Feb. 2020 The suspicion of autobiography turns these wistful evocations into something crass and embarrassing: a middle-aged guy bragging about his college conquests. — Sam Sacks, WSJ, "Fiction: An Indian Visitor in Search of America," 26 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'evocation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about evocation

Dictionary Entries near evocation

Statistics for evocation

Last Updated

19 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Evocation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evocation. Accessed 5 Aug. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

demure

Listen to the pronunciation of demure

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

July 2020 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is a synonym of mien?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.