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
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
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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In the future, the researchers would like to expose the embryos to longer microgravity spells to gain deeper insights into the processes taking place in space-like conditions.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
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Dry spells are nothing new to ranchers, but this stretch already seems hotter, drier and longer than anyone can recall.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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As his invocations crescendoed, so did the music behind him and the Legacy Mass Choir broke into a rousing gospel performance to start the homegoing services.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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In reality, only 17 out of 45 presidents — or 37% — utilized the law, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy organization that in 2022 tracked all Insurrection Act invocations.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Pay multiple people from the crafts site Etsy to perform tarot readings, lift any existing curses and otherwise engage in witchcraft.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
4 Mar. 2026
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Indeed, various curses and slurs could be heard shouted from the audience at London's Royal Festival Hall, even during some segments broadcast to audiences in England and abroad.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incantations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incantations. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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