incantation

noun

ˌin-ˌkan-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce incantation (audio)
Definition of incantationnext
as in spell
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incantation On the title track, a spare arrangement slowly unfurls around James’ voice, its shifting texture and gauzy atmosphere giving his existential musings the quality of a private incantation. — Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026 Halloween Horror Nights fans will encounter demonic forces when Book of the Dead incantations are read aloud inside the newest Evil Dead haunted house coming to Universal Studios Hollywood. — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 21 July 2026 The effect, when it is sung in unison by a crowd of 80,000 people, is akin to a kind of incantation. — Tom Williams, New York Times, 9 June 2026 There is a bopping, rhythmic assonance to Ginsberg’s unspooling lines, more incantation than poetry. — Literary Hub, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for incantation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incantation
  1. spell
  2. invocation
  3. curse
Noun
  • Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey also is facing a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury playing for the Netherlands.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Malhotra, one of India’s most experienced execs and producers, launched Abundantia back in 2013 after exiting a role as COO of Viacom18 Motion Pictures and a shorter spell leading Balaji Motion Pictures.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of spell
Noun
  • Bailey, a downstate farmer seeking to reverse his loss to Pritzker four years ago, sought to turn the governor’s frequent invocations of Trump into a game.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Throughout, Lee’s invocations imbue his subjects with an air of divinity.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of invocation
Noun
  • For their version, which follows a young teen boy (Bean Reid’s Sam) who works to find his missing brother in a town haunted by an evil crop curse, the answer was pumpkin guts.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The money, which added up to many millions in today’s dollars, was a blessing and a curse.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of curse

Browse Nearby Words

incandescently
incantation
incantations
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Cite this Entry

“Incantation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incantation. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on incantation

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about incantation

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