necromancy
noun
nec·ro·man·cy
ˈne-krə-ˌman(t)-sē 
1
: conjuration (see conjure sense 2a) of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events
The novel centers on the practice of necromancy and its influence on the world of the living.
Synonyms
Examples of necromancy in a Sentence
The town accused her of witchcraft and necromancy.
in the conjuring of the souls of the dead, necromancy seemed to offer human beings a means of exerting some control over an uncertain world
Recent Examples on the Web
After her death, Morgan even resorted to necromancy, reviving the People’s Princess (now embodied by Elizabeth Debicki) as an apparition who soothes a disconsolate Charles (Dominic West) and makes peace with a grieving but resentful Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton).
—
Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2023
Part of my aversion arises from my own hidebound premodern Calvinist outlook, in which death is no laughing matter and necromancy is forbidden by God (see Deuteronomy 18:9-13).
—Barton Swaim, WSJ, 26 Oct. 2023
Season 8, which arrived on BritBox last month, includes a spooky Christmas tale, a bright spin on necromancy, a game show that doesn’t go according to plan (hosted by Lee Mack) and an off-kilter love story.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Vo’s introduction of witchcraft, necromancy and enchantment miraculously produces a more relevant novel than that poetic tale of a gaudy stalker and his closeted pimp that’s been passed off for decades as the ultimate interrogation of the American Dream.
—Washington Post, 18 June 2021
The necromancy reference and Gideon's own interest in cloning would seem to be connections to the cloning project that led to Snoke and the eventual reveal of the cloned Emperor Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2023
Faith is desperately pinned to necromancy.
—Robert Shackleton, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022
Many writers, especially of the Afropessimist school, argue that Black trauma has been hijacked by narratives of redemption, as names like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor cease to refer to individuals and become—by a kind of necromancy—avatars of others’ political ideals.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2021
At Google I/O 2022, the company decided to engage in a bit of device necromancy.
—Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2022
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Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2023
Part of my aversion arises from my own hidebound premodern Calvinist outlook, in which death is no laughing matter and necromancy is forbidden by God (see Deuteronomy 18:9-13).
—Barton Swaim, WSJ, 26 Oct. 2023
Season 8, which arrived on BritBox last month, includes a spooky Christmas tale, a bright spin on necromancy, a game show that doesn’t go according to plan (hosted by Lee Mack) and an off-kilter love story.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Vo’s introduction of witchcraft, necromancy and enchantment miraculously produces a more relevant novel than that poetic tale of a gaudy stalker and his closeted pimp that’s been passed off for decades as the ultimate interrogation of the American Dream.
—Washington Post, 18 June 2021
The necromancy reference and Gideon's own interest in cloning would seem to be connections to the cloning project that led to Snoke and the eventual reveal of the cloned Emperor Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2023
Faith is desperately pinned to necromancy.
—Robert Shackleton, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022
Many writers, especially of the Afropessimist school, argue that Black trauma has been hijacked by narratives of redemption, as names like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor cease to refer to individuals and become—by a kind of necromancy—avatars of others’ political ideals.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2021
At Google I/O 2022, the company decided to engage in a bit of device necromancy.
—Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2022
Dictionary Entries Near necromancy
Cite this Entry
“Necromancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necromancy. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
necromancy
noun
nec·ro·man·cy
ˈnek-rə-ˌman(t)-sē
1
: the art or practice of calling up the spirits of the dead for magical purposes
2
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