as in witches
someone who is believed in some cultures to be able to use magic to cure people who are sick, to control future events, etc.
went to the shaman for a remedy
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Recent Examples of shamans
The only people believed capable of negotiating with the possessing winds, of restoring balance, are shamans of African descent.
—
Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
The retreats are usually led by facilitators, shamans or therapists.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Carved from whale bones, reindeer antlers and walrus tusks, these fierce talismans are vengeful spirits traditionally created by shamans to destroy enemies.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Researchers believe the structures served as elite burial sites for leaders, priests, or shamans, challenging earlier assumptions that Funnelbeaker societies were strictly egalitarian.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
By 1901, just seventeen years after contact with the outside world, shamans were cutting their hair, getting baptized, and taking Danish Christian names.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Their society was hierarchical, with those below the caciques known as the nitaínos (elites), behiques (perhaps shamans), and the naborías (usually servants and commoners).
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
They are known as witches or evil shamans with the ability to shape-shift into animals or other people and are both feared and respected.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Warriors, shamans and village leaders were placed in a seated position above a burning fire for months at a time, according to the study.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
The retreats are usually led by facilitators, shamans or therapists.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Carved from whale bones, reindeer antlers and walrus tusks, these fierce talismans are vengeful spirits traditionally created by shamans to destroy enemies.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Researchers believe the structures served as elite burial sites for leaders, priests, or shamans, challenging earlier assumptions that Funnelbeaker societies were strictly egalitarian.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
By 1901, just seventeen years after contact with the outside world, shamans were cutting their hair, getting baptized, and taking Danish Christian names.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Their society was hierarchical, with those below the caciques known as the nitaínos (elites), behiques (perhaps shamans), and the naborías (usually servants and commoners).
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
They are known as witches or evil shamans with the ability to shape-shift into animals or other people and are both feared and respected.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Warriors, shamans and village leaders were placed in a seated position above a burning fire for months at a time, according to the study.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shamans
Noun
-
Get ready for witches, munchkins and even the wizard.—
Stacey Zable,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are charming sisters and witches passing their magical skills to their kids in the trailer for Practical Magic 2, which dropped on Monday and is directed by Susanne Bier (The Perfect Couple, Bird Box).—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But, while watching the rugged coastline dip in and out of fjords and spiky mountains tumble down into the sea, magicians and musicals were far from my mind.—
Karen Gardiner,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
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Someone is stealing the secrets behind magicians’ greatest tricks and selling them on illicit websites.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That won't mean much to most gamers or even most PC enthusiasts, but for memory-tuning wizards like 1usmus, more levers to pull in overclocking and timing adjustments may make more capable memory overclocks possible in the future.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
24 Apr. 2026
-
This one just happens to involve wizards, goblins, and one savage, half-blind dragon.—
Séamas O'Reilly,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
An odder explanation involves sorcerers (koldunï-arbui) and sacrifices.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The land of sorcerers, dragons and savagery played out across eight gripping series, drawing millions of viewers into the fictional worlds of Westeros, Essos, and beyond.—
Connor Sturges,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Wizards, or mages (as the group has commonly referred to Eleven), develop their powers using arcane magic to cast powerful spells.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
26 Nov. 2025
-
Yennefer is now spearheading a new alliance of mages and elves operating out of The Lodge.—
Griff Griffin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Our conjure drives the cinematic imagination of Americans like the hags who ride our backs during our darkest nightmares.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Rather than hang out with the two old hags, Cherry decides to try her luck on the stand-up paddleboards with Brigitte and Daniel, but quickly loses her balance.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shamans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamans. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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