ceremonial
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or characterized by ceremony; formal; ritual.
a ceremonial occasion.
- Synonyms:
- ceremonious, conventional, solemn
- Antonyms:
- informal
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used in or in connection with ceremonies.
ceremonial robes.
noun
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a system of ceremonies, rites, or formalities prescribed for or observed on any particular occasion; a rite.
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Roman Catholic Church.
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the order for rites and ceremonies.
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a book containing it.
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formal behavior found at, or appropriate to, a certain occasion.
the ceremonial of a state banquet.
adjective
noun
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the observance of formality, esp in etiquette
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a plan for formal observances on a particular occasion; ritual
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Christianity
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the prescribed order of rites and ceremonies
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a book containing this
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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anticeremonialismnoun
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anticeremonialistnoun
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ceremonialismnoun
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ceremonialistnoun
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anticeremonialadjective
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nonceremonialadjective
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preceremonialadjective
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unceremonialadjective
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anticeremoniallyadverb
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ceremoniallyadverb
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nonceremoniallyadverb
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unceremoniallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ceremonial
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin cēremōniālis, Late Latin caerimōniālis. See ceremony, -al 1
Explanation
When an occasion is extremely formal and full of rituals, you can call it ceremonial. Your cousin's fancy wedding and your friend's bar mitzvah are both ceremonial events. The ritual of a new queen being crowned is ceremonial, with its pomp and formality. The way your family celebrates Thanksgiving might feel ceremonial to you as well, if everyone takes it very seriously and sticks to firm rules about what food to eat and who carves the turkey. Ceremonial originally described a purely religious ritual, from the Latin caerimonia, "holiness or sacredness."
Vocabulary lists containing ceremonial
"When Cultures Meet"
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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.
Ceremonial organ music played, the ordination vows were taken, of course, in Latin.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
“The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks don’t reveal themselves to you right away,” Dan Kois writes.
From Slate • Sep. 25, 2023
Ceremonial objects made of copper, bone, stone, and wood and shaped into bird claws and totem animals aided shamanistic figures in their duties and were often buried with them.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
Navy Ceremonial Band, plus a bugler and bell ringer.
From Washington Times • Dec. 6, 2022
Something had reminded her; maybe it was the people in the bar talking about the Gallup Ceremonial coming in two weeks.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
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.
