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 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 But the trauma of their defeat in the final match of the 1950 World Cup to Uruguay was such that a change was necessary, like a sort of sartorial exorcism. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 17 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
  • The greedy Colonel Pyncheon accused a man named Matthew Maule of witchcraft, in order to steal his property.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The series explores the unsettling collision of ancient witchcraft beliefs and modern digital dating culture.
    — Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of witchcraft
Noun
  • 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
  • Now, the sorcery of the dance floor is that this is never happening to only one dancer.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 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
  • 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
  • Kylie’s divinations lead her to a small English town called Thornfield.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 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
  • While these tracks are endearing enough, Way Dynamic’s real magic sits at the juncture of folk and forlornness, when Young’s guitar is allowed to ramble and his regrets are sharp enough to bruise.
    — Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • To double the magic, running water could be added to the mix.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 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

Browse Nearby Words

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 24 Oct. 2026.

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