incantatory
- adjective
- /ˌɪn.kænˈtɑː.tɔːr.i/
- Literature
- Often, her utterances have an incantatory quality.
- incantatory repetition
- almost incantatory
Examples
-
The Arabic has an incantatory, almost hypnotic quality that begs to be heard rather than read, Felt more than analysed.
-
The lines are almost incantatory in their balance and repetition: "catan ... miran ... a oio han ... miran ... alan."
Academic text (1991) -
So that's that incantatory Beat mysticism.
-
An incantatory poem!
Fiction book (2001) -
Something almost incantatory, thanks to the interlocking pattern of repetition and, in this case, rhyme.
Academic text (2009) -
Amidst the incantatory rhythm
Fiction book (2002) -
Stauffer says, "Repetition, like the use of certain rhythmic patterns, gives Poe's style an incantatory quality" (321).
Academic text (1999) -
By appealing directly to the unconscious, which is part and parcel of chance, we sought to restore to the work of art something of the numinous quality of which art has been the vehicle since time immemorial, the incantatory power that we seek in this age of general unbelief, now more than ever.
Academic text (2003) -
Orhan stood against the ruined stage and said something incantatory in Turkish, which he then explained to Gillian was Dionysus' first speech, his terrible, smiling, threatening speech at the beginning of The Bacchae.
Fiction book (1994) -
The musician's voice had an incantatory quality that captivated the audience from the first note.
Synonyms
Making you remember a strong feeling or image
Antonyms
How Enchanting
- Specialized
- US
- Literature
Surface Forms
Etymology
Incantatory comes from the Latin incantare, made of in- 'on' and cantare 'to sing', which brings to mind a chant used as a spell. So, something described as incantatory sounds chant-like or spellbinding and can calm or hold people's attention.