ceremonial

American  

[ser-uh-moh-nee-uhl] / ˌsɛr əˈmoʊ ni əl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by ceremony; formal; ritual.

   a ceremonial occasion.

   Synonyms:

   ceremonious, conventional, solemn

   Antonyms:

   informal

2. used in or in connection with ceremonies.

   ceremonial robes.

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noun

• ceremonials
  plural

1. a system of ceremonies, rites, or formalities prescribed for or observed on any particular occasion; a rite.

   Synonyms:

   liturgy, ritual

2. Roman Catholic Church.

   1. the order for rites and ceremonies.

   2. a book containing it.

3. formal behavior found at, or appropriate to, a certain occasion.

   the ceremonial of a state banquet.

ceremonial British  

/ ˌsɛrɪˈməʊnɪəl /

adjective

1. involving or relating to ceremony or ritual

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noun

1. the observance of formality, esp in etiquette

2. a plan for formal observances on a particular occasion; ritual

3. Christianity

   1. the prescribed order of rites and ceremonies

   2. a book containing this

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticeremonialism
  noun
• anticeremonialist
  noun
• ceremonialism
  noun
• ceremonialist
  noun
• anticeremonial
  adjective
• nonceremonial
  adjective
• preceremonial
  adjective
• unceremonial
  adjective
• anticeremonially
  adverb
• ceremonially
  adverb
• nonceremonially
  adverb
• unceremonially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ceremonials
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ceremonial

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin cēremōniālis, Late Latin caerimōniālis. See ceremony, -al ¹

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ceremonial ceremonials

The mace is a ceremonial staff used at formal parliamentary events.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

A few years ago, an experimental McDonald’s drive-thru system became convinced that two customers needed an almost ceremonial quantity of chicken McNuggets.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Some council meetings essentially are ceremonial and waste the time not only of representatives but also of their staffers, who could be doing other work, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Montana Levi Blanco’s imposing Elizabethan costumes referred to the opera’s Shakespearean source, and the ruin of the Macbeths was all the more noticeable when their grand ceremonial garments were stripped away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

The chess set was always reverently kept in its own blanket, hidden in a corner of the room with the medicine bags and Deydey’s ceremonial clothes.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

In 1927, the year architect Lloyd Wright designed a pyramidal modern shell for the Bowl, Native Americans held intertribal ceremonials in the venue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2022

After a brief interlude for some Black Rod ceremonials, Lindsay Hoyle allowed himself to be re-elected as Speaker.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 17, 2019

The ceremonials were the same, and we filed into the Council Chamber a little before four in the afternoon.

From Nature ● Dec. 18, 2018

We climbed and explored Acoma and Bandelier, Mesa Verde, went to Indian dances and ceremonials and powwows.

From The New Yorker ● Jul. 28, 2016

The King, who was addicted to festivals and ceremonials of all sorts, celebrated the occasion royally, by presenting a new gown to every man on the estate.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

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Related Words

• liturgical
• solemn
• stately

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