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
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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?
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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
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These trivia quizzes challenge your knowledge of the magical world of spells, creatures, and artifacts.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
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Intel used every trick in its spell book but even that wasn't enough.Caroline Reid, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The art world, like the artwork itself, exists in a delicate balance of elitism and absurdity, meaning and nonsense.Natalie Stoclet, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
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The basic idea here is that Vince Vaughn is doing his mid-aughts-dirtbag Vince Vaughn thing but on Christmas — a premise that’s laid on a foundation of plausible-sounding nonsense.Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Her spectral trip-hop incantations are a departure from the maximalist, four-on-the-floor Brat bops ripping through the internet.Suzy Exposito, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2024
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Plot: Dead bodies from the local cemetery come back to life after Bart utters an incantation from The Time Life Book of Magic and Spells, Vol. II.Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 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
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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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This, along with the ICC's decision to indict a Hamas commander—in the same breath as Netanyahu and Gallant—exposes the macabre moral equivocation that so often lurks behind the legal mumbo jumbo of both international organizations.Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
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The rub is that his world is dying because of some specific mumbo jumbo that leads Wade to seek out a Wolverine from a parallel universe to save it.Nick Romano, EW.com, 5 Aug. 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
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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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In addition to all that work, Coffin voices the demented gibberish spewed by the Minions, the bright yellow creatures who work alongside Gru. Renaud, who co-helmed the fourth installment with Patrick Delage, says that the French influence was also there from the start.Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 July 2024
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For example, at one point the voice suddenly sped up and spewed gibberish.Will Knight, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2024
Noun
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Hong Kong and Mainland China grinded higher, led by growth stocks and consumer subsectors on chatter of holiday season vouchers and in anticipation of the post-CEWC release’s pro-consumption and fiscal policy expansion.Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
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The chatter began as soon as Trump first announced that Vance would join him on the Republican presidential ticket.Jeremiah Poff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 10 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Abracadabra.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abracadabra. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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