as in spells
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
hovering over the sick child, the witch doctor muttered mysterious incantations
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of incantations
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
Where ancient midwives had summoned divine assistance by uttering incantations, medieval maternity caregivers called upon saintly mothers by reciting rhythmical charms.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Justin, the believer, is instantly alarmed by how these eerie tapes escalate from cute banter to ghostly crying babies and backward incantations.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
There’s a little bit of mystery with the spirits, incantations and rituals.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2025
Magic, the process of changing reality to your will through incantations, is done in this realm.
—Helen A. Berger, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2023
H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2026
Where ancient midwives had summoned divine assistance by uttering incantations, medieval maternity caregivers called upon saintly mothers by reciting rhythmical charms.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Justin, the believer, is instantly alarmed by how these eerie tapes escalate from cute banter to ghostly crying babies and backward incantations.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
There’s a little bit of mystery with the spirits, incantations and rituals.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2025
Magic, the process of changing reality to your will through incantations, is done in this realm.
—Helen A. Berger, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incantations
Noun
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Havertz looked utterly forlorn, visibly distressed to pick up yet another injury after a year decimated by two serious surgeries and long spells of rehabilitation.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Coach Ralf Rangnick took over in 2022 after spells with Manchester United, Hoffenheim, Schalke and Stuttgart and Leipzig.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Such rhetoric echoes in official statements as well — in prayers for destruction, in invocations of divine sanction for war and in casual references to catastrophic violence.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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Some of these invocations align with Hegseth’s recurring references to the Crusades in the Middle Ages – a centuries-long holy war between Christians and Muslims.—
Samuel Perry,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Tens of millions of downloads deep, among discussions regarding ongoing bear curses and the quiet art of being a decent person, Drew Barrymore has asked about boogers and Jane Fonda has asked about hope.—
Brittany Delay,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
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There are still deliveries of hate mail from conservative neighbors who disapprove of their lifestyle, and occasional drive-bys punctuated with curses yelled from car windows, but they’ve largely been accepted by the community.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incantations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incantations. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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