ritual
Americannoun
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an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite.
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a system or collection of religious or other rites.
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observance of set forms in public worship.
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a book of rites or ceremonies.
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a book containing the offices to be used by priests in administering the sacraments and for visitation of the sick, burial of the dead, etc.
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a prescribed or established rite, ceremony, proceeding, or service.
the ritual of the dead.
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prescribed, established, or ceremonial acts or features collectively, as in religious services.
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any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner.
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a prescribed code of behavior regulating social conduct, as that exemplified by the raising of one's hat or the shaking of hands in greeting.
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Psychiatry. a specific act, as hand-washing, performed repetitively to a pathological degree, occurring as a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive neurosis.
adjective
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of the nature of or practiced as a rite or ritual.
a ritual dance.
- Synonyms:
- sacramental, formal, ceremonial
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of or relating to rites or ritual.
ritual laws.
noun
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the prescribed or established form of a religious or other ceremony
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such prescribed forms in general or collectively
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stereotyped activity or behaviour
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psychol any repetitive behaviour, such as hand-washing, performed by a person with a compulsive personality disorder
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any formal act, institution, or procedure that is followed consistently
the ritual of the law
adjective
Related Words
See ceremony.
Other Word Forms
- antiritual adjective
- proritual adjective
- ritually adverb
- unritual adjective
- unritually adverb
Etymology
Origin of ritual
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin rītuālis, from rītu(s) rite + -ālis -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They wailed and sang as they beat their chests with their hands, a common mourning ritual in Iran.
Andie spends her morning enjoying the ritual of building her outfit.
From Salon
The objects, to form part of the collection at the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, include "monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects", said a culture ministry statement.
From Barron's
Earlier this month, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, accused the government of antisemitism for investigating mohels, specialists in ritual Jewish circumcision, who potentially lacked medical training required by the state.
Elisha had thought that Catholic rituals might suit her interest in mystery, acting as a bridge away from Spiritualism.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
