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.
Their fast-paced lives have given rise to a beloved family ritual: Korean taco night.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
These materials are believed to be the remains of ritual meals and offerings made to the gods.
From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026
“For the coffee-lover, the intricate ritual of coffee preparation adds fun and pleasure to life,” he argues.
From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026
"We must keep this ritual alive under all circumstances, even in the current situation and despite the distress we feel," Roya Abhari, 39, told AFP.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
Menstruation was not something that Ophie looked forward to; she understood the monthly ritual of bleeding but was rather happy not to have one more hassle in her life.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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.
