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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Examples Sentences
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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
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In that two-year spell with Slegers as head coach, Rosengard won back-to-back league titles.Art de Roché, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
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David Moyes’ Everton side suffered a 1-0 defeat at home against Aston Villa in his first game in charge of his second spell at the club, and the reasons for the defeat were not unfamiliar.James Nalton, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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That ain't the show, the show is the nonsense that's happening in between John Wick.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
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By contrast, this rising international elite is creating something very different: a society in which superstition defeats reason and logic, transparency vanishes, and the nefarious actions of political leaders are obscured behind a cloud of nonsense and distraction.Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 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
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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
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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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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
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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
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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Given this strange combination—Iron Guard nostalgia and Russian trolls plus the sort of wellness gibberish more commonly associated with Gwyneth Paltrow—who exactly are the Georgescus?Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
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Bernie spoke gibberish to investors when talking about his strategies.Richard Behar, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Close losses have been the bane of their season so far, but games like Wednesday’s can help with stacking wins and quelling trade chatter, even if for just another day.James Jackson, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
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Natural light plus background chatter plus the smell of coffee equals better stories for you.Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 2 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Abracadabra.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abracadabra. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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