1
as in spell
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
the hope that there was some bewitchment that would turn their jerky son-in-law into a prince
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in witchcraft
the power to control natural forces through supernatural means
while stuck in traffic, I could have used a bit of bewitchment to clear the road of other drivers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of bewitchment
Her work, then, is the work of resuscitation via bewitchment.
—
Ocean Vuong, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
But if there is some kind of bewitchment going on in these encounters, Evelyn is entirely immune.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2025
Mercury well aspected on the 6th finds you in accord with others and Venus in Pisces accents playfulness on the 8th and romantic bewitchment on the 15th.
—Katharine Merlin, Town & Country, 1 Feb. 2023
One depends on a set of abstract rules; the other on a sequence of mutual bewitchments.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2019
Here, where both land and life are flat, the privations of rural teenage existence yield wild and elemental bewitchments.
—New York Times, 1 June 2017
The ergot fungus grows on cereals such as rye and produces several neurological symptoms that were historically attributed to bewitchment for many centuries.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2015
Ocean Vuong, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
But if there is some kind of bewitchment going on in these encounters, Evelyn is entirely immune.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2025
Mercury well aspected on the 6th finds you in accord with others and Venus in Pisces accents playfulness on the 8th and romantic bewitchment on the 15th.
—Katharine Merlin, Town & Country, 1 Feb. 2023
One depends on a set of abstract rules; the other on a sequence of mutual bewitchments.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2019
Here, where both land and life are flat, the privations of rural teenage existence yield wild and elemental bewitchments.
—New York Times, 1 June 2017
The ergot fungus grows on cereals such as rye and produces several neurological symptoms that were historically attributed to bewitchment for many centuries.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bewitchment
Noun
-
The Royals had wished not to submit to the enticing spell being cast by their 2024 top draft pick, knowing that calling him up in a time of need could add another dimension of pressure.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Yes, the five first-years are all in the set as two-color uncommons with Prepared spells, serving a similar function to STX’s cycle with Zimone and Quintorius.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike standard comforters, this one is specifically intended to cool you down at night, which sounds like witchcraft to me in the best way.—
Quincy Bulin,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Now, though, with the widespread circulation of magic manuals, grimoires, and related compendia—with the recording, on paper, of words, spells, histories, stories—witchcraft has taken an irreversible step into the exoteric realm.—
Kristen Roupenian,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the first story, a couple worry about how a possible family curse that began when an ancestor made a bargain to escape enslavement might affect their happy life.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
-
There are still deliveries of hate mail from conservative neighbors who disapprove of their lifestyle, and occasional drive-bys punctuated with curses yelled from car windows, but they’ve largely been accepted by the community.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Watch On Longing for the colorful tumbling force of fantastic '80s-era sci-fi sword-and-sorcery flicks that dominated multiplexes and mom-and-pop video rental shops in the Reagan years?—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The sword-and-sorcery title grossed over $68M worldwide, coming to be appreciated as a cult classic, and spawned the sequel Conan the Destroyer (1984).—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just pop the sleeve in the freezer for a couple of hours and let the icy magic do its work on your thumb and wrist, wrist and foot or knee.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The magic of cruising is that being on the water elevates everything from your conversation to your travel clothing.—
Amanda Eyre Ward,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bewitchment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bewitchment. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
