ritual
Americannoun
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rituals
plural
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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
Synonym Usage
See ceremony.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ritual
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin rītuālis, from rītu(s) rite + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
A ritual is a ceremony or action performed in a customary way. Your family might have a Saturday night ritual of eating a big spaghetti dinner and then taking a long walk to the ice cream shop. As an adjective, ritual means "conforming to religious rites," which are the sacred, customary ways of celebrating a religion or culture. Different communities have different ritual practices, like meditation in Buddhism, or baptism in Christianity. We also call the ceremony itself a ritual. Although it comes from religious ceremonies, ritual can also be used for any time-honored tradition, like the Superbowl, or Mardi Gras, or Sunday morning pancake breakfast.
Vocabulary lists containing ritual
A Long Walk to Water
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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It's Lit: Hanukkah Words
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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.
See Examples For:
You feel better for having gone through the ritual yourself.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
The prayer service being held at the Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery included a holy water cleansing ritual that is popular among Orthodox Christians seeking spiritual healing for chronic illnesses.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
It’s an annual ritual that once had programs practicing twice or even three times a day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The sunfish is already dead -- this isn't an elaborate murder ritual.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Tea is their normal morning ritual, but having it in my bedroom is not.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Unlike deaths with associated rituals, road maps, and standards, those that are disenfranchised are complex, underacknowledged, and often isolating.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
Anyone who has watched the tennis legend Rafael Nadal on the court is familiar with his rituals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Parr, renowned for capturing the quiet rituals and absurdities of British life, was commissioned by the National Trust to capture life in Lacock, Wiltshire, during the spring and summer of 2025.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
The rituals culminate on the 10th day of the month Muharram, which this year falls on June 26.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
He followed no formulas, no regimens, no superstitious rituals.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
