ancestor worship

American  

noun

Anthropology.

1. (in certain societies) the veneration of ancestors whose spirits are frequently held to possess the power to influence the affairs of the living.

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Etymology

Origin of ancestor worship

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Historically, you might say we are a religion of ancestor worship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

From around 1640, as part of a push to ban Christianity, temples kept family registries of people in the neighborhood, creating a tradition of ancestor worship still observed today.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 4, 2023

Some scholars have suggested it functioned as a religious site for ancestor worship, while others have suggested it was a burial ground for chiefs or possibly even the site of a royal palace.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

At some point before contact with Christians, ancestor worship was replaced by a religion centered around a “birdman.”

From Washington Times • Oct. 7, 2022

Her shelf had to do with a religion she’d made up for herself, a mixture of nature and ancestor worship.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd