as in sorcerer
a person skilled in using supernatural forces
attributed the storms to a clash of wills between the two most powerful magi in the land
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Recent Examples of magus
For years Johnson, the disheveled political magus, was the golden boy of Britain's Conservative Party.
—
Sam Kiley, CNN, 30 June 2022
But other students are there for Wittgenstein the sage, the magus, the riddler—the man who left Russell bewildered by a turn to mysticism at the end of a book that was supposed to be about logic.
—Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 9 May 2022
Auden’s father, George Augustus Auden, was a physician and an early reader of Freud; the young poet saw himself also as a healer, though in a rather different mode, less an M.D. than a magus.
—Alan Jacobs, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022
His face is framed by voluminous graying locks; his loose robes recall those of a medieval magus.
—Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 21 Mar. 2022
Sam Kiley, CNN, 30 June 2022
But other students are there for Wittgenstein the sage, the magus, the riddler—the man who left Russell bewildered by a turn to mysticism at the end of a book that was supposed to be about logic.
—Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 9 May 2022
Auden’s father, George Augustus Auden, was a physician and an early reader of Freud; the young poet saw himself also as a healer, though in a rather different mode, less an M.D. than a magus.
—Alan Jacobs, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022
His face is framed by voluminous graying locks; his loose robes recall those of a medieval magus.
—Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 21 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for magus
Noun
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An odder explanation involves sorcerers (koldunï-arbui) and sacrifices.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
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Musing about unintended consequences, Oosterhoff mentioned the myth of Pandora’s box and Goethe’s tale of the sorcerer’s apprentice.—
Charles Lane,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The movie is adapted from the French novel of the same name (Le mage du Kremlin, in French) by author Giuliano de Empoli and casts Paul Dano as a fictional character named Vadim Baranov, who assists Putin in his rise to the center of Russia's government.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
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Interspersed throughout the main storyline, sequences depict how Trent Ikithon (Mark Strong) recruited the promising fire mage to join his magic academy, submit to painful experimentations to enhance his power, and eventually groomed him to become a Volstrucker assassin to hunt down dissidents.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
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When Alice and Bob meet back on Earth, though, the magician’s trick is revealed.—
Matt von Hippel,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Apr. 2026
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Magic-Al Garber is the magician to book.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Every version of Merlin the wizard, spanning an expansive gender spectrum.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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Daniel Bernhardt is Deathstalker, a legendary swordsman stuck with a cursed amulet who befriends swamp monsters and teams with a mini wizard (voiced by Patton Oswalt) to stop a dark magic from ruling the land.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Magus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/magus. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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