sorcerer

S1O1R1C3E1R1E1R1
UK/ˈsɔːsəɹə(ɹ)/US/ˈsoɹ.sɚ.ɚ/

noun

A magician or wizard. Sometimes specifically male.

Less commonScrabble 10

Meanings

nounsorcerer (plural sorcerers)

plural sorcerers · alternative sorceror

  1. artsA magician or wizard. Sometimes specifically male.

    Pope Joan, who once occupied the throne of the Vatican, was reputed to be the blackest sorcerer of them all.

    1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 105
    3 more examples

    These, it was believed, would prevent the Arch-fiend from entering the charmed ring and wreaking vengeance upon the sorcerers.

    1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 116

    “Thou flibbertigibbet,” cried Catwezle, who had been listening, “all is clear as springwater. This Rapkyn was a sorcerer!”

    1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 50

    "Well, sorcerer?" growled the Norman. "Nay, not well," replied Catweazle shivering miserably, "I have the bone-ache."

    1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 7

    Synonyms: magician, powaqa, two-heart, wizard

  2. figurativelyA person whose skills or abilities appear almost magical.

    The goalscorer was Eberechi Eze, Palace’s sorcerer-in-chief, and it came in the 16th minute from an assist by Daniel Muñoz, who was irrepressible up and down the right.

    2025 May 17, David Hytner, “Crystal Palace stun Manchester City to win FA Cup amid drama and Henderson controversy”, in The Guardian

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA magician or wizard. Sometimes specifically male.

More synonyms by meaning

nounone who practices magic or sorcery

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ser-“to bind”
  2. Latinsortem“fate, fortune”
  3. Early Medieval Latinsortiārius
  4. Old Frenchsorcer, sorcier
  5. Middle Englishsorcerere
  6. Englishsorcerer

From Middle English sorcerere, from stem sorcer- (as in sorceresse and sorcery) + -ere, from Old French sorcer, sorcier, from Early Medieval Latin sortiārius, derived from Latin sortem (“fate, fortune”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek μάγος, γόης
  • μάγος (mágos)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • γόης (góēs)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • φαρμακεύς (pharmakeús)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Arabic سَاحِر
  • سَاحِر (sāḥir)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Bengali যাদুকর
  • যাদুকর (jadukor)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Bulgarian вълше́бник, магьо́сник
  • вълше́бник (vălšébnik)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • магьо́сник (magjósnik)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • чароде́й (čarodéj)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • ве́щер (véšter)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Catalan mag, màgic
  • magmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • màgicmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • fetillermagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Chinese Mandarin 巫師 /巫师, 魔術師 /魔术师
  • 巫師 /巫师 (wūshī)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • 魔術師 /魔术师 (móshùshī)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • 男巫 (nánwū)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Czech čaroděj
  • čarodějmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Danish heks, heksemester
  • heksmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • heksemestermagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • troldkarlmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • troldkvindemagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • troldmandmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Dutch tovenaar
  • tovenaarmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Esperanto sorĉisto
  • sorĉistomagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Estonian võlur
  • võlurmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Finnish velho
  • velhomagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
French sorcier, sorcière
  • sorciermagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • sorcièremagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
German Zauberer
  • Zauberermagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Greek μάγος
  • μάγος (mágos)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Hebrew מְכַשֵּׁף, קוֹסֵם
  • מְכַשֵּׁף (mekhashéf)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • קוֹסֵם (kosém)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Hindi जादूगर, ओझा
  • जादूगर (jādūgar)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • ओझा (ojhā)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • साहिर (sāhir)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • सयाना (sayānā)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Hungarian varázsló
  • varázslómagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Icelandic galdramaður
  • galdramaðurmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Indonesian ahli sihir, tukang sihir
  • ahli sihirmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • tukang sihirmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • penyihirmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Irish asarlaí, draoi
  • asarlaímagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • draoimagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • draíodóirmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Italian stregone
  • stregonemagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Japanese 魔法使い, 魔術師
  • 魔法使い (mahō tsukai)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • 魔術師 (majutsushi)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Korean 마법사
  • 마법사 (mabeopsa)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Latin venēficus, magus
  • venēficusmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • magusmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Māori kaimakutu
  • kaimakutumagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Norwegian Bokmål trollmann
  • trollmannmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Persian جادوگَر, ساحِر
  • جادوگَر (jâdugar)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • ساحِر (sâher)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Polish czarownik, czarodziej
  • czarownikmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • czarodziejmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Portuguese feiticeiro, sortílego
  • feiticeiromagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • sortílegomagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Romanian vrăjitor
  • vrăjitormagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Russian волше́бник, колду́н
  • волше́бник (volšébnik)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • колду́н (koldún)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • маг (mag)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • чароде́й (čarodéj)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Scottish Gaelic draoidh
  • draoidhmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Slovak čarodejník, čarodej
  • čarodejníkmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • čarodejmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Spanish brujo, hechicero
  • brujomagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • hechiceromagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • sortílegomagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • magomagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Swedish trollkarl
  • trollkarlmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Tagalog alasip
  • alasipmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Thai พ่อมด
  • พ่อมด (pɔ̂ɔ-mót)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Turkish büyücü, yadacı
  • büyücümagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • yadacımagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • sihirbazmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Ukrainian чарівни́к, чароді́й
  • чарівни́к (čarivnýk)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • чароді́й (čarodíj)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • чаклу́н (čaklún)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • маг (mah)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Urdu جادو گَر, ساحِر
  • جادو گَر (jādū gar)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • ساحِر (sāhir)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Vietnamese phù thuỷ, thầy phù thủy
  • phù thuỷmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • thầy phù thủymagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Welsh swyngyfareddwr, rhiniwr
  • swyngyfareddwrmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • rhiniwrmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
  • hudolmagician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Yiddish מכשף
  • מכשף (mekhashef)magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers
Cite this entry
APA

sorcerer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sorcerer

MLA

“sorcerer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sorcerer. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sorcerer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sorcerer.

Source: sorcerer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.