1. people who practice mesmerism or hypnotism; hypnotists
Usage: historical

Examples

• The 19th-century mesmerists claimed they could cure illness through magnetic forces.
• Several mesmerists performed at the traveling show, putting volunteers into trances.
• Early mesmerists believed in animal magnetism as a healing power.
• The audience watched skeptically as the mesmerists demonstrated their techniques.
• Medical professionals of the era debated the legitimacy of mesmerists’ methods.
• Franz Mesmer’s followers became known as mesmerists throughout Europe.