ritual

[ rich-oo-uhl ]

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.

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

/ 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

adjective

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

Derived Forms

• ˈritually, adverb

Other Words From

• ritu·al·ly adverb
• anti·ritu·al adjective
• pro·ritu·al adjective
• un·ritu·al adjective
• un·ritu·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ritual¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin rītuālis, from rītu(s) rite + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ritual¹

C16: from Latin rītuālis , from rītus rite

Synonym Study

See ceremony.

Example Sentences

Scans hint at Egyptian ritual in the snake, which had rock structures in its open mouth, possibly the mineral natron used by ancient Egyptians to slow decomposition.

From Science News

Another viewing feels fitting, like the conclusion to a ritual.

From MIT Technology Review

Many people, for instance, are turning to their immediate family members to fill that ritual void.

From Science News

A connection may have existed between human sacrificial ceremonies that were intended to appease Inca deities and events held at Lake Titicaca, including the submerging of ritual offerings, the researchers suggest.

From Science News

Ancient Americans ventured deep into caves along a stretch of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula to mine a red pigment that could have had both practical and ritual uses, researchers say.

From Science News

The family was taking some private moments for a closing of the coffin in keeping with Chinese ritual.

From The Daily Beast

What ritual did some celebrities start engaging in over the summer?

From The Daily Beast

Kanchanaburi, Thailand — At the Kanchanaburi train station each morning, the same ritual unfolds.

From The Daily Beast

Followers had traveled many miles to mourn the loss, and aid in the ritual washing, dressing, and honoring of the body.

From The Daily Beast

The line of questioning is a regular ritual conducted between Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the press corps.

From The Daily Beast

Upon seeing the said ritual, I ordered it to be published, and it was done on the day of Sts.

From Project Gutenberg

Organisation ensues, and the general conceptions of state-deities and state-ritual are made more definite and precise.

From Project Gutenberg

Once again temples are shut and marriages forbidden, but the ritual is of a very different nature.

From Project Gutenberg

In the matter of ritual and observance, state-organisation—and its absence—are alike significant.

From Project Gutenberg

There he saw the ceremony of ordination performed, and expressed warm approbation of the Anglican ritual.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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