Standard Lemma guide

witchcraft

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈwɪt͡ʃkɹæft/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwɪt͡ʃkɹɑːft/
  • CMU ARPABET: W IH1 CH K R AE2 F T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The practice of witches; magic, sorcery, or the use of supernatural powers to influence or predict events.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • Wiccans believe in a modernised form of witchcraft.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: witchdom, witchery, witchwork, bewitchery, black arts, charmwork, conjuration, conjuring, craft, dark arts, diablerie, druidcraft, dweomercraft, dwimmer, dwimmercraft, enchantment, goety, gypsycraft, hexcraft, hexerei, jugglery, magic, mojo, sorcery, sortilege, spellcasting, spellcraft, spellwork, thaumaturgy, wandwork, warlockry, whistness, witchcraft, wizardry, wizardcraft, wonderworking

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Black magic; the use of witchcraft for evil means.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • The Bible warns against the use of witchcraft and sorcery.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dark magic, goety, sorcery, black magic, cacomagic, witchcraft

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Something, such as an advanced technology, that seems almost magical.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wizardry

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An irresistible or seemingly magical influence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the art of sorcery

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: witchery

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sorcery, black magic, black art, necromancy

History

Etymology

From Middle English wicchecraft, wicchecreft, from Old English wiċċecræft, equivalent to witch + -craft.

Across languages

Translations

142 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سِحْر (siḥr) — the practice of witches
  • Armenian: թովչանք (tʻovčʻankʻ) — the practice of witches
  • Armenian: կախարդություն (kaxardutʻyun) — the practice of witches
  • Asturian: bruxería — the practice of witches
  • Azerbaijani: sehr — the practice of witches
  • Belarusian: чараўні́цтва (čarawníctva) — the practice of witches
  • Bengali: ডাকিনীবিদ্যাā (ḍakinibiddaā) — the practice of witches
  • Breton: sorserezh — the practice of witches
  • Bulgarian: магьосничество (magjosničestvo) — the practice of witches
  • Bulgarian: вълшебство́ (vǎlšebstvó) — the practice of witches
  • Burmese: ပယောဂ (pa.yau:ga.) — the practice of witches
  • Catalan: bruixeria — the practice of witches
  • Chichewa: ufiti — the practice of witches
  • Chinese Mandarin: 巫術 /巫术 (wūshù) — the practice of witches
  • Chinese Mandarin: 魔術 /魔术 (móshù) — the practice of witches
  • Chinese Mandarin: 魔法 (mófǎ) — the practice of witches
  • Czech: čarodějnictví — the practice of witches
  • Danish: hekseri — the practice of witches
  • Danish: heksekunst — the practice of witches
  • Danish: trolddom — the practice of witches
  • Dutch: hekserij — the practice of witches
  • Esperanto: sorĉado — the practice of witches
  • Estonian: nõidus — the practice of witches
  • Ewe: dzosasa — the practice of witches
  • Finnish: noituus — the practice of witches
  • French: sorcellerie — the practice of witches
  • Galician: bruxaría — the practice of witches
  • Galician: meiguería — the practice of witches
  • Georgian: გრძნეულება (grʒneuleba) — the practice of witches
  • Georgian: ჯადოქრობა (ǯadokroba) — the practice of witches
  • Georgian: მისნობა (misnoba) — the practice of witches
  • Georgian: მაგია (magia) — the practice of witches
  • German: Hexerei — the practice of witches
  • German: Hexenkunst — the practice of witches
  • Gothic: 𐌻𐌿𐌱𐌾𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌴𐌹 (lubjaleisei) — the practice of witches
  • Greek: μαγεία (mageía) — the practice of witches
  • Ancient Greek: γοητεία (goēteía) — the practice of witches
  • Hanunoo: padaya — the practice of witches
  • Hebrew: כְּשָׁפִים (kshafím) — the practice of witches
  • Ilocano: tamay — the practice of witches
  • Indonesian: sihir — the practice of witches
  • Indonesian: tenung — the practice of witches
  • Ingrian: noijitus — the practice of witches
  • Ingrian: noijitos — the practice of witches
  • Irish: draíocht — the practice of witches
  • Irish: asarlaíocht — the practice of witches
  • Irish: diabhlaíocht — the practice of witches
  • Irish: síofrógacht — the practice of witches
  • Irish: tuaithe — the practice of witches
  • Italian: stregoneria — the practice of witches
  • Japanese: 魔法 (mahō) — the practice of witches
  • Japanese: 魔術 (majutsu) — the practice of witches
  • Japanese: 妖術 (yōjutsu) — the practice of witches
  • Kazakh: жадыгөйлік (jadygöilık) — the practice of witches
  • Kazakh: дуалаушылық (dualauşylyq) — the practice of witches
  • Kazakh: дуагерлік (duagerlık) — the practice of witches
  • Kazakh: арбаушылық (arbauşylyq) — the practice of witches
  • Kazakh: сиқырлаушылық (siqyrlauşylyq) — the practice of witches
  • Kazakh: сиқыршылық (siqyrşylyq) — the practice of witches
  • Khmer: វេទមន្ត (veit mŭən) — the practice of witches
  • Khmer: ធ្មប់ (thmup) — the practice of witches
  • Korean: 마법 (mabeop) — the practice of witches
  • Korean: 마술 (masul) — the practice of witches
  • Korean: 요술 (yosul) — the practice of witches
  • Lao: ເວດມົນ (wēt mon) — the practice of witches
  • Latin: artes magicarum — the practice of witches
  • Latin: artes magicae — the practice of witches
  • Latin: artes magae — the practice of witches
  • Latin: veneficium — the practice of witches
  • Latin: fascinum — the practice of witches
  • Latin: maleficium — the practice of witches
  • Latvian: raganošana — the practice of witches
  • Macedonian: маѓепсништво (maǵepsništvo) — the practice of witches
  • Macedonian: волшепство (volšepstvo) — the practice of witches
  • Macedonian: чи́нка (čínka) — the practice of witches
  • Malay: sihir — the practice of witches
  • Malayalam: മന്ത്രവാദം (mantravādaṁ) — the practice of witches
  • Malayalam: ആഭിചാരം (ābhicāraṁ) — the practice of witches
  • Manx: buitçheraght — the practice of witches
  • Manx: obbeeys — the practice of witches
  • Manx: pishag — the practice of witches
  • Māori: whaiwaiā — the practice of witches
  • Māori: mākutu — the practice of witches
  • Māori: taurarua — the practice of witches
  • Māori: whaiwhaiā — the practice of witches
  • Māori: kaiatua — the practice of witches
  • Meru: urogi — the practice of witches
  • Khiamniungan Naga: vāisō — the practice of witches
  • Nandi: ponisio — the practice of witches
  • Norman: chorchell'lie — the practice of witches
  • Norwegian: heksekunst — the practice of witches
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hekseri — the practice of witches
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: hekseri — the practice of witches
  • Persian: جادوگری (jâdugari) — the practice of witches
  • Persian: کید (keyd) — the practice of witches
  • Persian: سحر (sehr) — the practice of witches
  • Plautdietsch: Hakjsarie — the practice of witches
  • Plautdietsch: Hakjsenkonst — the practice of witches
  • Polish: czary — the practice of witches
  • Portuguese: bruxaria — the practice of witches
  • Russian: колдовство́ (koldovstvó) — the practice of witches
  • Russian: чароде́йство (čarodéjstvo) — the practice of witches
  • Russian: ведовство́ (vedovstvó) — the practice of witches
  • Russian: волшба́ (volšbá) — the practice of witches
  • Russian: волшебство́ (volšebstvó) — the practice of witches
  • Sanskrit: अभिचार (abhicāra) — the practice of witches
  • Scots: witchcraft — the practice of witches
  • Scots: can — the practice of witches
  • Scots: glamour — the practice of witches
  • Scots: glamourie — the practice of witches
  • Scots: sorcery — the practice of witches
  • Scots: bogle wark — the practice of witches
  • Scots: witcherie — the practice of witches
  • Scottish Gaelic: buidseachd — the practice of witches
  • Serbo-Croatian: враџбина — the practice of witches
  • Serbo-Croatian: вештичарство — the practice of witches
  • Serbo-Croatian: вјештичарство — the practice of witches
  • Serbo-Croatian: vradžbina — the practice of witches
  • Serbo-Croatian: veštičarstvo — the practice of witches
  • Serbo-Croatian: vještičarstvo — the practice of witches
  • Slovak: čarodejníctvo — the practice of witches
  • Slovene: čarovništvo — the practice of witches
  • Spanish: brujería — the practice of witches
  • Spanish: agüizote — the practice of witches
  • Spanish: ahuizote — the practice of witches
  • Swahili: uganga — the practice of witches
  • Swahili: urogi — the practice of witches
  • Swedish: häxkonst — the practice of witches
  • Swedish: häxeri — the practice of witches
  • Swedish: trolldom — the practice of witches
  • Thai: เวทมนตร์ (wêet-mon) — the practice of witches
  • Tibetan: མཐུ (mthu) — the practice of witches
  • Turkish: büyü — the practice of witches
  • Turkish: sihir — the practice of witches
  • Ukrainian: чаклу́нство (čaklúnstvo) — the practice of witches
  • Ukrainian: чарівни́цтво (čarivnýctvo) — the practice of witches
  • Vietnamese: thuật phù thủy — the practice of witches
  • Welsh: swyngyfaredd — the practice of witches
  • Welsh: dewiniaeth — the practice of witches
  • Yao (Africa): usaŵi class 14 — the practice of witches
  • Zazaki: sihir — the practice of witches
  • Zazaki: nuşte (diq) — the practice of witches
Real reading context

witchcraft in complete knowledge articles