ritual

American  

[rich-oo-uhl] / ˈrɪtʃ u əl /

noun

1. an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite.

2. a system or collection of religious or other rites.

3. observance of set forms in public worship.

4. a book of rites or ceremonies.

5. 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.

6. a prescribed or established rite, ceremony, proceeding, or service.

   the ritual of the dead.

7. prescribed, established, or ceremonial acts or features collectively, as in religious services.

8. any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner.

9. 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.

10. Psychiatry.  a specific act, as hand-washing, performed repetitively to a pathological degree, occurring as a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

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adjective

1. of the nature of or practiced as a rite or ritual.

   a ritual dance.

   Synonyms:

   sacramental , formal , ceremonial

2. of or relating to rites or ritual.

   ritual laws.

ritual British  

/ ˈrɪtjʊəl /

noun

1. the prescribed or established form of a religious or other ceremony

2. such prescribed forms in general or collectively

3. stereotyped activity or behaviour

4. psychol any repetitive behaviour, such as hand-washing, performed by a person with a compulsive personality disorder

5. any formal act, institution, or procedure that is followed consistently

   the ritual of the law

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of religious, social, or other rituals

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

That ritual whetted his curiosity about his nation’s native spirit.

From The Wall Street Journal

So, this Friday, even though I don’t actually need anything, I’m going to hustle over to the mall to participate in the most beloved American ritual of all.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a ritual unseen by the cameras, volunteers heave the floating icons toward the asphalt.

From The Wall Street Journal

Not every family brings out special tokens to mark the seasons, I know, but in many households, this is a time-honored ritual.

From Los Angeles Times

"We believe the inhabitants of Poverty Point built the mounds, performed rituals and left behind valuable objects as a sacrifice and spiritual offering."

From Science Daily

Related Words

• act
• custom
• formality
• habit
• liturgy
• observance
• practice
• procedure
• rite
• routine
• stereotype