cantrip

Definition of cantripnext
chiefly Scottish

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cantrip
Noun
  • As prospective farmers struggled to clear forests for rice fields in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Malaya, their efforts might have been accompanied by mystical incantations like this invocation against Iblis, the Devil in Islamic tradition.
    H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2026
  • In that loud and sultry enclosure, the aspirants lined up and repeated the same information, over and over, like an incantation to open a magic door.
    Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Advertisement Xi’s invocation of Thucydides’ Trap comes at a time when tensions between the rival superpowers could boil over on any of a number of issues, from trade to AI to Taiwan.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 15 May 2026
  • Viewers might sense a grand statement being made by the invocation of this famous painting.
    Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
Noun
  • There was no hot water for several spells last winter.
    Anne Kadet, Curbed, 15 May 2026
  • Over the course of Obsession's 108-minute runtime, Nikki transforms into an self-destructive, possessive, and dangerously violent shadow of her former self as Bear's spell forces her to fixate solely on her unnatural devotion to him—no matter the cost.
    Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 May 2026
Noun
  • As words have incantatory power to shift elements of fate, as well as matters of the heart, this project calls forward questions around an alleged family curse from Nagasaki and the writing process as its own counter-spell.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
  • Press conferences can be a blessing and a curse for football managers.
    Beren Cross, New York Times, 16 May 2026
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
Noun
  • Petteys, the Big East Freshman of the Year in 2025, has made the classic leap as a sophomore, with no sign of a jinx or slump that sometimes comes with having already accomplished something special.
    Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Will any of this year's crop break the jinx on March 15?
    Marco della Cava, USA Today, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • And creatures — fairies, a faun, the unforgettable Pale Man, with eyes in the palms of his hands — reveal a world of deeper and darker enchantment.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 May 2026
  • The flamenco term refers to a type of enchantment delivered through an especially evocative vocal performance.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2026
Noun
  • Individuals born with Pluto in Virgo possess sharp instincts, an eye for detail and a sorcery-like resourcefulness.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
  • In a feat of sorcery that should have other sandwich makers crying in their beer, the ciabatta roll here is tender and comparatively thin.
    Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
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

Cite this Entry

“Cantrip.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cantrip. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster