1
as in spell
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
originally, an abracadabra was a cryptogram of the word "abracadabra" that was repeated in diminishing form until it disappeared entirely—supposedly just like the targeted evil or misfortune
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in nonsense
unintelligible or meaningless talk
after some abracadabra the spiritualist announced that we had made contact with "the other side"
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Recent Examples of abracadabra
Make the Boston Celtics vanish on abracadabra?
—
Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 18 May 2022
His utilization of terms like irreducible complexity is about as substantive as chanting abracadabra, but probably just as effective in convincing fellow travelers already sympathetic to his position as shamans were in the days of yore.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2011
That’s seven steps to make abracadabra, whose molecular assembly number is thus seven.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2023
It's got lots of entries for inquisitive younglings, from abracadabra to zombies.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2011
And there’s an abracadabra quality of pulling a bed out nowhere.
—Christine Lennon, Sunset Magazine, 11 Feb. 2022
The smoke from Luka Doncic’s latest abracadabra moment still hangs in the air, along with our collective state of disbelief.
—Dallas News, 15 Apr. 2021
When someone pushed the button — abracadabra — the bus went from Boston to New York, just like that.
—James Barron, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2019
And that the shareholders will then subsequently spend that money buying things—a new car, a new refrigerator, perhaps—and abracadabra, the economy will be set on fire for the first time in more than a decade.
—William D. Cohan, The Hive, 13 Dec. 2017
Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 18 May 2022
His utilization of terms like irreducible complexity is about as substantive as chanting abracadabra, but probably just as effective in convincing fellow travelers already sympathetic to his position as shamans were in the days of yore.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2011
That’s seven steps to make abracadabra, whose molecular assembly number is thus seven.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2023
It's got lots of entries for inquisitive younglings, from abracadabra to zombies.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2011
And there’s an abracadabra quality of pulling a bed out nowhere.
—Christine Lennon, Sunset Magazine, 11 Feb. 2022
The smoke from Luka Doncic’s latest abracadabra moment still hangs in the air, along with our collective state of disbelief.
—Dallas News, 15 Apr. 2021
When someone pushed the button — abracadabra — the bus went from Boston to New York, just like that.
—James Barron, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2019
And that the shareholders will then subsequently spend that money buying things—a new car, a new refrigerator, perhaps—and abracadabra, the economy will be set on fire for the first time in more than a decade.
—William D. Cohan, The Hive, 13 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abracadabra
Noun
-
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the cold spell brought Chicago's air temperature down to a bone-chilling minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit on January 21.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
29 Jan. 2025
-
Eowyn will also bring rain showers and longer spells of rain across the north of Ireland, according to forecasters, and there was a chance of hail and snow in the hills of Scotland.—
Claire Moses,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The word had seemed like nonsense only a moment before.—
Anna Russell,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Having a terrible job where empty, pandering nonsense is handed down by corporate headquarters.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The amalgamation of memory, historical fact and artifice yield an engrossing incantation.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Dec. 2024
-
These works evoke the votive sculptures of ancient Egypt, where animals garnered more reverence than they do now, were seen as perhaps incantations of gods.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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She was getting winded on our walk, and her prattle was broken up by heavy breaths.—
Joshua Cohen,
The New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2024
-
The larcenous prattle is, in this sense, a typically Wiig-ian set piece: sunny, strained and flailing for dignity.—
Lili Loofbourow,
Washington Post,
20 Mar. 2024
Noun
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Strong actors also can’t prop up a script built out of barely penetrable mumbo jumbo.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
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After being attacked by a lion on safari in Ghana, he’s given a mystical botanical serum mixed with lion’s blood and some mumbo jumbo about a tarot card.—
Mark Kennedy,
Boston Herald,
13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Worse, such jabber crowds out essential coverage of genuine threats to democracy and the visions of the two parties.—
Jennifer Rubin,
Washington Post,
16 July 2024
-
Jacobs-Jenkins renders him as a wry, friendly figure who occasionally takes over the bodies of the other characters to explain what is happening beneath their jabber.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
5 June 2023
Noun
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The pressure of the moment led Ferrell to spurt out total gibberish in his telling — and his flub was so bad that SNL boss Lorne Michaels paid him a visit backstage.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
12 Jan. 2025
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Let Us Show You How GPT Works — Using Jane Austen An interactive demonstration of how large language models work, from gibberish to complete sentences.—
The Upshot Staff,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2024
Noun
-
Using Cell Phones with Reckless Abandon While the ballpark is filled with cheers and chatter, nobody wants to be seated next to the person who’s loudly carrying on a phone conversation in the middle of it—or have to dodge the hundredth selfie snapped by the person in front of them.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
18 Jan. 2025
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The compressed size of the court and the smaller arena mean players — and fans — will be able to hear much more on-court chatter.—
Remy Tumin,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Abracadabra.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abracadabra. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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