What is another word for wizard?
The word
wizard is most commonly used to refer to someone who can perform magic, but it also has a modern sense meaning someone who is highly skilled. Let’s conjure up some synonyms for both.
Words for a magical person In the context of magic, synonyms for
wizard include
magician, sorcerer, enchanter, and
conjurer. Sorcerer and
enchanter also have female-specific versions:
sorceress and
enchantress (which is more commonly used than
enchanter). The words
sorcerer and
sorceress often (though not always) refer to figures who practice so-called black magic—magic used for evil purposes. In fantasy books and movies, these words are often used for evil characters. In contrast, the words
wizard and
magician usually imply that such figures use their powers for good. If not, you might call them an
evil wizard or a
dark wizard or an
evil magician. The word
necromancer is often specifically used to refer to someone who uses magic to raise the dead—or other dark doings. Sometimes, a distinction is made in which the word
wizard is used for males and the word
witch is used for females, but both
wizard and
witch can be used regardless of gender. The word
warlock typically refers to a male witch. A less common but very cool word for a wizard is
thaumaturge. Words for a highly skilled person Calling someone a
wizard to indicate that they’re extremely skilled at something suggests that they’re so good that it’s almost like magic. In this way, the word
magician can be used to mean the same thing, as can
sorcerer and
sorceress. This sense of
wizard is commonly used in terms that specify what the person is good at, such as
math wizard or
computer wizard. The word
wiz is a shortening of this sense and can be used in the same way (as can the spelling variant
whiz). A similar word is
ace. When this sense of
wizard is used in the context of mental or intellectual wizardry, a close synonym is
genius. If the skill level is very high for the person’s age, you could use
prodigy. The word
virtuoso is especially used of musicians, but can be used in any context. Some people use pop culture-related terms like
rockstar and
jedi. This sense of
wizard is a good word to use to avoid using similar terms that are sometimes considered forms of
cultural appropriation, such as
ninja and
guru.
Where does wizard come from?
The first records of the word
wizard in English come from the 1400s. It comes from the Middle English
wisard, from the word
wise. The suffix
-ard is used in words referring to a person who frequently engages in a specific activity or is known for a specific characteristic (in this case, for their knowledge and wisdom). The suffix
-ard is most commonly used in negative words, unlike
wizard, such as
coward. The suffix itself derives from the Germanic
-hard, which literally means “hardy” or “bold” and is the basis of the final element in many Germanic masculine names, such as Bernard and Gerard.
What words are related to wizard?
As suggested by the previous section,
wizard is related to the word
wise. Even though a
wizard might be
wizened, the two words aren’t related. A
wizard practices
wizardry and may be described as
wizardly. The word
wiz—as in
math wiz—is a shortening of
wizard (the word
whiz is simply a spelling variant).
