as in witches
someone who is believed in some cultures to be able to use magic to cure people who are sick, to control future events, etc.
went to the shaman for a remedy
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Recent Examples of shamans
Carved from whale bones, reindeer antlers and walrus tusks, these fierce talismans are vengeful spirits traditionally created by shamans to destroy enemies.
—
R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Researchers believe the structures served as elite burial sites for leaders, priests, or shamans, challenging earlier assumptions that Funnelbeaker societies were strictly egalitarian.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
By 1901, just seventeen years after contact with the outside world, shamans were cutting their hair, getting baptized, and taking Danish Christian names.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Their society was hierarchical, with those below the caciques known as the nitaínos (elites), behiques (perhaps shamans), and the naborías (usually servants and commoners).
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
They are known as witches or evil shamans with the ability to shape-shift into animals or other people and are both feared and respected.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Warriors, shamans and village leaders were placed in a seated position above a burning fire for months at a time, according to the study.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
As niche as that plot may sound, its story is rooted in Korean tradition, where many shamans in Korea, who tend to be women, perform various rituals to chase demons away from a household or home.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
In the world of KPop Demon Hunters, the jeoseung saja are the demons that K-pop girl groups, and female shamans before them, have worked to keep at bay for generations.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Researchers believe the structures served as elite burial sites for leaders, priests, or shamans, challenging earlier assumptions that Funnelbeaker societies were strictly egalitarian.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
By 1901, just seventeen years after contact with the outside world, shamans were cutting their hair, getting baptized, and taking Danish Christian names.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Their society was hierarchical, with those below the caciques known as the nitaínos (elites), behiques (perhaps shamans), and the naborías (usually servants and commoners).
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
They are known as witches or evil shamans with the ability to shape-shift into animals or other people and are both feared and respected.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Warriors, shamans and village leaders were placed in a seated position above a burning fire for months at a time, according to the study.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
As niche as that plot may sound, its story is rooted in Korean tradition, where many shamans in Korea, who tend to be women, perform various rituals to chase demons away from a household or home.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
In the world of KPop Demon Hunters, the jeoseung saja are the demons that K-pop girl groups, and female shamans before them, have worked to keep at bay for generations.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shamans
Noun
-
There’s literal witches and second sight in his plays.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Though complete opposites — Ava is from a small town and Lauren comes from the wealthy Cambridge family — the two girls form a bond when they’re both recruited into the Lilith Society, a historic secret group for witches.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Like Victor Frankenstein, who diligently selects body parts from corpses to stitch together his humanoid creation, the Mexican director carefully assembled his troupe of movie magicians.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The first Mistborn trilogy of books centered on metal-using magicians who attempt to overthrow a despotic empire.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Only the best of the bat-to-ball wizards can build a career in the majors.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Everything culminates in a climactic scene in the Shrieking Shack, where the truth about the two Animagi (wizards who can turn into animals) is revealed, plus Sirius Black (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) comes clean as a friend of Harry’s parents who can also turn into a black dog.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For the most part, the initial sorcerers who make agentic AI a workplace standard will be chief information officers, chief technology officers, and businesspeople who have a deep understanding of technology.—
Bipul Sinha,
Fortune,
27 Jan. 2026
-
These sorcerers combat monstrous manifestations of negative human emotion, known as Curses, using a parallel energy source called Cursed Energy.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Wizards, or mages (as the group has commonly referred to Eleven), develop their powers using arcane magic to cast powerful spells.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
26 Nov. 2025
-
Yennefer is now spearheading a new alliance of mages and elves operating out of The Lodge.—
Griff Griffin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Our conjure drives the cinematic imagination of Americans like the hags who ride our backs during our darkest nightmares.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 Oct. 2025
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Rather than hang out with the two old hags, Cherry decides to try her luck on the stand-up paddleboards with Brigitte and Daniel, but quickly loses her balance.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shamans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamans. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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