as in appeal
the power of irresistible attraction
even as a child, she had an unmistakable duende that attracted the attention of passersby
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Recent Examples of duende
That involved the special forces paying due heed to Indigenous cosmology which suggested a malign shapeshifting being known as a duende was conspiring to hide the children from their would-be rescuers.
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
The duende is a force not a labor, a struggle not a thought.
—Lauren Groff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024
May more absolute crackpots come forward with their petrified duendes and brujas voladoras.
—Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
The writer George Frazier spent a lifetime defining duende and identifying those who possessed it.
—Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 3 Sep. 2021
Which means that, for a dancer, duende is not only a mystical inspiration.
—Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2019
Krug is no Orr, because no one can recreate that time, that talent that duende, but the winning rush was of near-No.
—BostonGlobe.com, 23 Nov. 2019
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
The duende is a force not a labor, a struggle not a thought.
—Lauren Groff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024
May more absolute crackpots come forward with their petrified duendes and brujas voladoras.
—Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
The writer George Frazier spent a lifetime defining duende and identifying those who possessed it.
—Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 3 Sep. 2021
Which means that, for a dancer, duende is not only a mystical inspiration.
—Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2019
Krug is no Orr, because no one can recreate that time, that talent that duende, but the winning rush was of near-No.
—BostonGlobe.com, 23 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duende
Noun
-
Los Angeles appears poised to lose in its attempt to keep $100 million in state grant funding for transportation projects in some of the neediest neighborhoods after a state commission declined to hear the city’s appeal for an extension.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
The area, a working-class and largely white part of Greater Manchester, is a top target for Farage’s party, but Burnham sought to turn back the tide, relying on his unique appeal as the region’s popular mayor.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
The elegant staging tries to compensate, but the performers have to rely a little too heavily on their own charms to make up the difference in a play that swerves unexpectedly at the end into a cutesy fairy tale.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Solid acacia wood brings rustic charm to the mountable shelf, contrasted by a glossy steel rack to stock hand towels and maintain a polished look.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
My work is driven by a fascination with atmosphere, emotion, and the quiet beauty hidden in everyday life—the kind of moments most people pass by without noticing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 June 2026
-
For Hoyos Padilla, that journey began with a fascination for sharks.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Using a Beatles motif, the English drew on their reserves of cultural capital to boost the country’s attractiveness at a time when the country’s citizens have an acute sense of losing their place in the world.—
Simon Chadwick,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
By the time of The Social Reckoning, a website that was once used to rate the attractiveness of women has gone on to disrupt global politics on a frightening scale.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The short ribs — best eaten by hand — are a little chewy and fatty (in the best way) with a savory and subtly sticky sweetness.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
Hand-rolled with tobaccos grown higher than 3,500 feet above sea level on Plasencia’s Finca San Julián in Condega, the cigar has a café con crema aroma and medium-plus flavors of grass and leather, accented by a natural sweetness locked into the higher-elevation leaves.—
Richard Carleton Hacker,
Robb Report,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Other types of attractions include shows, character meet-and-greets, climbing structures and wet and dry play areas.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
The backstory Loews Hotels & Co opened Loews Chicago Hotel in 2015, setting their eyes on the Streeterville neighborhood for its unique position between the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, and its proximity to downtown’s best attractions.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
The five-bedroom home pairs the glamour of the building’s Art Deco past with a contemporary design defined by open living spaces, clean lines, and natural light.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
15 June 2026
-
In May of that year, Hall left her fiancé Bryan Ferry for the ultimate rock-god bad boy, Mick Jagger—which only seemed to deepen Opium’s aura of glamour, scandal, and seduction.—
Serena Turner,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Hocus pocus Ronaldinho territory and that, typically, was where the magic happened.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
This is just one of the resort's many details paying tribute to Hawaiian culture – and with that Disney magic, of course.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Duende.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duende. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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