1. a system of practices in which humans attempt to manipulate natural or supernatural forces through such means as rituals, incantations, and spells. Magic had an important social role in many prescientific societies, where its practitioners often held great power and authority. In the modern world, magical belief has survived most obviously as an underground esoteric tradition (see occult) but also in many popular superstitions and New Age practices. Magical rituals can be said to differ from religious rituals in that they involve a direct attempt to control certain physical facts (e.g., the weather), as opposed to a supplication to a higher power or powers.

2. in some individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, attempts to allay anxiety by invoking certain numbers or performing certain rituals. See also magical thinking. —magical adj.