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definitions

ceremonial

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

adjective

of, relating to, or characterized by ceremony; formal; ritual: a ceremonial occasion.
used in or in connection with ceremonies: ceremonial robes.

noun

a system of ceremonies, rites, or formalities prescribed for or observed on any particular occasion; a rite.
Roman Catholic Church.
  1. the order for rites and ceremonies.
  2. a book containing it.
formal behavior found at, or appropriate to, a certain occasion: the ceremonial of a state banquet.

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Nearby words

  1. cerebrovascular accident,
  2. cerebrum,
  3. cerecloth,
  4. ceredigion,
  5. cerement,
  6. ceremonial tea,
  7. ceremonious,
  8. ceremoniously,
  9. ceremony,
  10. cerenkov

Origin of ceremonial

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin cēremōniālis, Late Latin caerimōniālis. See ceremony, -al1
SYNONYMS FOR ceremonial
1. solemn, conventional, ceremonious. 3. ritual, liturgy.
ANTONYMS FOR ceremonial
1. informal.
Related forms
Can be confusedceremonial ceremonious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ceremonially

British Dictionary definitions for ceremonially

ceremonial

/ (ˌsɛrɪˈməʊnɪəl) /

adjective

involving or relating to ceremony or ritual

noun

the observance of formality, esp in etiquette
a plan for formal observances on a particular occasion; ritual
Christianity
  1. the prescribed order of rites and ceremonies
  2. a book containing this
Derived Formsceremonialism, nounceremonialist, nounceremonially, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for ceremonially

ceremonial

adj.

c.1400, "belonging to (religious) ritual," also as a noun, "a ceremonial practice," from Late Latin caerimonialis "pertaining to ceremony," from caerimonia (see ceremony). Related: Ceremonially.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper