exorcism

noun

Definition of exorcismnext
as in witchcraft

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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 exorcism Written after the 2022 death of drummer and friend Taylor Hawkins, the song felt like a moment of catharsis for Grohl, the emotion in his voice audible and his guitar playing an exorcism of emotional pain. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 Do not, however, confuse this with The Ritual from 2025, an extremely awful exorcism movie with Al Pacino. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 As the chaos unfolds, a priest wearing his own protective gear arrives to perform what appears to be an exorcism as Perry drifts in and out of consciousness. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 There’s a spirit of exorcism in this approach, an implicit belief that certain loud sounds are more like elemental beings to be summoned than the logical result of wires and inputs. — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for exorcism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exorcism
  1. witchcraft
  2. sorcery
  3. necromancy
  4. divination
  5. wizardry
  6. witchery
  7. magic
  8. conjuring
Noun
  • For centuries, black cats have been linked to bad luck, witchcraft and evil, leading to fear and mistreatment.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Weaving, in particular, has long been associated with witchcraft.
    — Francesca Perry, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of witchcraft
Noun
  • The other Vision is a supernatural manifestation, brought to life via Wanda Maximoff’s sorcery; he is known as Hex Vision.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The two of them crafted a business plan for a bookstore, one that wouldn’t look out of place in a sword and sorcery fantasy novel, with a hidden speakeasy.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of sorcery
Noun
  • The movie, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary on May 3, showed us how to use our magic and morals to decide whether to embrace necromancy and the occult.
    — Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
  • Hedva’s practice cooks magic, necromancy, and divination together with mystical states of fury and ecstasy, and political states of solidarity and disintegration.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Definition of necromancy
Noun
  • That’s the practice of fortune-telling or divination using a deck of cards.
    — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Oracles, prophets and practices of divination offered guidance from inscrutable or enigmatic sources when ordinary human judgment reached its limits.
    — Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of divination
Noun
  • The specs are nearly identical year over year, which means the company is relying on its mathematical wizardry rather than advances in sensors and optics to derive results from its cameras.
    — Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026
  • By some architectural wizardry of concrete and glass the pictures inside stand to attention, as if they, too, are suspended in time and space—a collection that faces in one direction, in orderly fashion, like the Terracotta Army.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Definition of wizardry
Noun
  • Enter kitchen witchery, a practice rooted in modern witchcraft that blends intention, ritual, and everyday cooking.
    — Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Ravn beautifully brings us inside these circles of care, which to many outsiders might have seemed as strange as witchery.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of witchery
Noun
  • The brutal cold of Sweden’s winters is well documented, but Stockholm has a knack for bringing some special magic even to its gloomiest season.
    — Isabelle Kliger, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Their fourth-quarter magic is gone, replaced by fourth-quarter illusions.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of magic
Noun
  • Therefore, in my mind, homemade desserts were magic only grandmothers were capable of conjuring.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 31 July 2026
  • Everyone here has been brought by Vernon, really, by mystical conjuring if not literal invitation, the rock star as co-author.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026
Definition of conjuring

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exorcising
exorcism
exorcisms
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Cite this Entry

“Exorcism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exorcism. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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