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wizard

B1
adjective
Fairly common

Pronunciation

UK

  • /wˈɪzəd/

US

  • /ˈwɪzərd/

Meanings

Noun

  1. a person, especially a man, with magical powers in stories, folklore, or fantasy

  2. a person who is extremely skilled or clever at something

  3. a software tool that guides a user through a task step by step

Beyond the definition

A wizard is not just someone in a pointy hat from an old story. A wizard is a person believed to have magical power, to know spells, and to change events through magic. Think of Merlin from Arthurian legend or Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings.

The word can also be used in an everyday, figurative way for someone who is extremely good at something. A "computer wizard," for example, is someone with great skill at programming or solving computer problems. The word is connected to an old word meaning "wise," which helps explain why these characters are often shown as people with deep knowledge.

Examples

  1. 1

    Fantasy story

    In the story, a young wizard discovers she can talk to animals.

  2. 2

    Costume party

    The children wore wizard hats and carried plastic wands at the party.

  3. 3

    Special skill

    Mei is a wizard with spreadsheets, so we asked her to check the budget.

    • Patterna wizard with + skill/tool

      someone who is extremely good at it

  4. 4

    Office expert

    Our office wizard got the network working again before lunch.

More examples
  1. 5

    Software setup

    The setup wizard will guide you through installing the app.

See also

Similar

Shades of meaning

Contrast

  • nonmagical person

Do not confuse

Used with (collocations)

  • powerful wizard
  • wizard casts a spell
  • wizard's wand
  • wizard in training

Word family

Explore

Forms and spellings

2 forms open this card.

Main spelling

  • wizardnounadjective

Forms

  • wizardspluralnounadjective