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cantrip

noun

Definition of cantripnext
chiefly Scottish
as in incantation

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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
  • Rifling through the belongings of her great-aunt Jet (Wiest) for a spell to save Gideon, Kylie finds the Book of Ravens, which cryptically hints at an incantation that might break the Owens’ love curse.
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Hoodoo tradition presumes a belief in a supernatural or spirit world that can be called upon for assistance, often through charms and incantations.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of incantation
Noun
  • The invocation came amid years of congressional investigations and hearings scrutinizing his handling of the pandemic.
    — John C. Besley, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Even the gentlest invocation will eventually become a Pavlovian trigger for early morning dread.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of invocation
Noun
  • During the final half-hour, Leeds stepped off and Newcastle had their best spell, culminating in Bazoumana Toure scoring his first Premier League goal, though by then the game had long been lost.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But Practical Magic 2’s spell over the box office may not have been cast to last.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of spell
Noun
  • The sequel takes place 25 years after the original 1998 cult classic movie, as the sisters try to break their family curse along with Sally’s daughters Kylie (Joey King) and Antonio (Maisie Williams).
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Sally and Gillian come from a long line of witches and have lived in a resplendent Massachusetts home with their aunts Frances (Stockard Channing) and Jet (Dianne Wiest) ever since a curse struck down their father and led to their mother’s suicide.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
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
  • Well, even just normal-life magic — jinxes, coincidences, destiny.
    — Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The ‘seven-year jinx’ — the K-pop industry’s shorthand for the contract expiration point at which groups typically fracture — did not claim TWICE on schedule, but in a way, has just claimed its first member now.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of jinx
Noun
  • But that enchantment began long before the beach clubs and celebrity sightings.
    — Lanie Goodman, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • All of them are concerned with legacy, particularly among fathers and daughters (Shakespeare had two and lost his only son), and all of them touch a realm beyond the mundane — a place of gods and dreams, oracles and enchantment.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of enchantment
Noun
  • Now, the sorcery of the dance floor is that this is never happening to only one dancer.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • After graduating, Papadopoulos took classes at Hunter College, bonding with classmates over sword and sorcery movies.
    — Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
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 16 Sep. 2026.

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