sorcery

IPA/ˈsɔːsəri/
KK[sˈɔrsɚi]IPA/ˈsɔːrsəri/

sorcery — noun

1. the practice of making things happen by calling on dark powers or wicked spirits

1.nounC1
Definition

the practice of making things happen by calling on dark powers or wicked spirits, usually to harm or control other people.

Example

The villagers blamed the failed harvest on sorcery and burned the old woman's hut.

blamed [misfortune] on sorcery

Shirin read an old book that claimed a single drop of blood could power dark sorcery.

dark sorcery as the practice of evil magic

Common collocations
  • dark sorcery
  • practise sorcery
  • accused of sorcery
  • powers of sorcery
Synonyms
  • witchcraft

    near-synonym; stresses spells and a witch figure rather than control of spirits

  • black magic

    everyday term for the same idea of harmful supernatural power

  • necromancy

    narrower; specifically calling on the dead to learn hidden things

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable and tied to a folklore or fantasy frame: people are 'accused of', 'practise', or 'use' sorcery, and the powers involved are presented as evil. Distinguish from 'magic', which is neutral and can describe harmless tricks or entertainment.

Common Mistakes

She did three sorceries on the king.
She used sorcery against the king.
sorcery is uncountable, so it has no plural and takes no number.
The children loved the clown's sorcery at the party.
The children loved the clown's magic at the party.
sorcery means evil supernatural power, not friendly party tricks.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe supernatural power used for harmful or hidden ends, but they differ in focus. 'Sorcery' emphasises controlling spirits or dark forces to make events happen, and often appears in folklore and fantasy. 'Witchcraft' centres on the figure of the witch and on spells or charms, and historically carried legal and religious weight in witch trials. 'Black magic' is the plain everyday term most readers reach for, contrasting directly with harmless 'white magic'. 'Necromancy' is the narrowest: it specifically means contacting or raising the dead to gain knowledge. So a fortune-teller raising a ghost practises necromancy, a village healer cursing a rival is accused of witchcraft, and a fantasy villain bending storms to his will wields sorcery.

sorcery ↗witchcraft ↗black magicnecromancy

Common collocations

Nouns

  • powers of sorcery
  • act of sorcery

Phrases

  • practise sorcery
  • dark sorcery
  • the work of sorcery

Prepositions

  • accused of sorcery
  • through sorcery

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Sorcery came into English in the 1300s from Old French 'sorcerie', built on 'sorcier' meaning a person who casts lots or tells fortunes. That word traces back to Latin 'sors', meaning a lot or a person's fate — the idea being someone who could read or twist destiny. Over time the harmless fortune-telling sense darkened into the modern meaning of using evil powers.