Abracadabra
intj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A use of the mystical term ‘abracadabra’, supposed to work as part of a healing charm or a magical spell; any spell or incantation making use of the word.
"Where is the necessity of this provision in the Constitution? […] Can anyone believe that we, by any amendments of ours, by any of our scribbling on that parchment, by any amulet, any legerdemain—charm—Abrecadabra—of ours can prevent our sons from doing the same thing—that is, from doing as they please, just as we are doing as we please? It is impossible. Who can bind posterity?"
- 2 gibberish and nonsense wordnet
- 3 Mumbo jumbo; obscure language or technicalities; jargon.
"I don’t know all the theoretical abracadabra about how it works, I’m only its pilot."
- 1 Used to indicate that a magic trick or other illusion has been performed.
"Next, the conjuror filled a glass with water from a big jug and then covered the tumbler with a cloth. "Abracadabra," he cried and crumpled the cloth."
Example
More examples"He said abracadabra and there appeared a pigeon."
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Late Latin abracadabra.
Related phrases
More for "abracadabra"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.