Usage
What does sorcerous mean? Sorcerous means using or involving sorcery—supernatural power or the ability to use supernatural powers (witchcraft or magic).The word sorcery often (though not always) refers to so-called black magic—magic used for evil purposes.A person who can perform sorcery is called a sorcerer (which can be used for any gender, but typically refers to a man) or a sorceress (which refers to a woman). Sorcerer and sorceress are often used to refer to evil characters in works of fiction, especially in the fantasy genre. In contrast, similar words like wizard and magician usually imply that such figures use their powers for good. If not, you’d usually call them an evil wizard or evil magician.Sorcerous may or may not imply evil, but it usually implies great power—and often great skill and command of such power.For this reason, the word sorcerous can be used in a figurative way to describe action that takes great skill, as if it’s a magical ability, as in Chris has sorcerous skill in coding. The word sorcery can be used to refer to such skill, and a person who’s skilled in this way can be called a sorcerer or a sorceress.Example: I fear that some sorcerous power has enchanted this land.
Other Word Forms
- sorcerously adverb
Etymology
Origin of sorcerous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It doesn’t even get into the question of whether an AI can actually attain consciousness, where the sorcerous aspect of this project is even more explicit.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2023
Women, on the other hand, were still spared that disaster, leading to a group of powerful magic-wielders known as the Aes Sedai, who hold considerable sway — both sorcerous and politically.
From The Verge • Nov. 16, 2021
But it also means that Black Widow’s comparatively grounded and realistic adventure is coming after WandaVision’s sorcerous saga or Loki’s era-spanning epic.
From The Verge • Jul. 9, 2021
There’s a nice variety of personality types, from a snobbish sorcerous to an irreverent elven archer to a rugged Grey Warden.
From Forbes • Nov. 11, 2014
The dragonlords of old Valyria had controlled their mounts with binding spells and sorcerous horns.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
