as in amulet
something worn or kept to bring good luck or keep away evil
he wore a small phylactery on a cord around his neck
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of phylactery
Under the chin was the amulet, also known as a phylactery, likely worn around the person's neck.
—
Max Hauptman, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
Known as a phylactery, this type of amulet served as a kind of container to hold objects believed to be imbued with magical properties that were intended to protect the wearer.
—Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Popular images of Jewish men worshiping at the wall in prayer shawls and phylacteries show only a small stretch of the ancient retaining wall for the Temple Mount.
—David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2017
Max Hauptman, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
Known as a phylactery, this type of amulet served as a kind of container to hold objects believed to be imbued with magical properties that were intended to protect the wearer.
—Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Popular images of Jewish men worshiping at the wall in prayer shawls and phylacteries show only a small stretch of the ancient retaining wall for the Temple Mount.
—David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phylactery
Noun
-
Daniel Bernhardt is Deathstalker, a legendary swordsman stuck with a cursed amulet who befriends swamp monsters and teams with a mini wizard (voiced by Patton Oswalt) to stop a dark magic from ruling the land.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The text also suggests wearing amulets that bring blessings and aid the transference of consciousness.—
Jue Liang,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Nottingham Forest’s talisman followed up his recent 20-point haul with another double-digit return in his team’s 5-0 win over Sunderland on Friday night.—
Abdul Rehman,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In the dying days of the Russian Empire, highborn ladies would willingly cut the dirty fingernails of the peasant Grigori Rasputin and then sew the clippings onto their dresses like sacred talismans.—
Gerard DeGroot,
Air Mail,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phylactery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phylactery. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
