ceremonious

[ ser-uh-moh-nee-uhs ]

/ ˌsɛr əˈmoʊ ni əs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ceremonious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

carefully observant of ceremony; formally or elaborately polite: He greeted his rival with a ceremonious display of friendship.

pertaining to, marked by, or consisting of ceremony; formal: a ceremonious reception.

Nearby words

Origin of ceremonious

1545–55; ceremony + -ous; compare Middle French cerimonieux < Late Latin caerimōniōsus

SYNONYMS FOR ceremonious

1. ceremonial; conventional, punctilious.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ceremonious ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

cer·e·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverbcer·e·mo·ni·ous·ness, nounan·ti·cer·e·mo·ni·ous, adjectivean·ti·cer·e·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverb

an·ti·cer·e·mo·ni·ous·ness, nounnon·cer·e·mo·ni·ous, adjectivenon·cer·e·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverbnon·cer·e·mo·ni·ous·ness, nounsu·per·cer·e·mo·ni·ous, adjectivesu·per·cer·e·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverbsu·per·cer·e·mo·ni·ous·ness, noun

Can be confusedceremonial ceremonious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ceremoniously

The last of 500 cards were ceremoniously signed at a press conference and then presented with the others to the authorities.
‘There Are People Who Should Live’: Good Confronts Evil in Ukraine|Michael Daly|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A $20,000 check was ceremoniously presented to the Southeast Arlington Little League (SEALL).
There is No Stealing in Baseball!|Michael Daly|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"They saluted and marched upstairs and they came down so ceremoniously," said Madikizela-Mandela.
Winnie on Nelson Mandela’s Final Moments|The Telegraph|December 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Chewing on a thick piece of gum, Moss ceremoniously pulled it out when deigning to talk.
Britain's Naughty 'It' Girls|Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni|May 11, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Caroline Kennedy has mostly spent her life as a wife, a mother, and most ceremoniously, a daughter.
Uh, Qualified?|Elizabeth Wurtzel|December 14, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Later a scarf, ceremoniously spread over the heads of the pair, took the place of the tent.
Folkways|William Graham Sumner
To give a judicial aspect to the proceedings, two prominent Huguenots were ceremoniously hanged.
The History of Freedom|John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
The Duchess held out her hand to Michael, who kissed it ceremoniously.
The Enemies of Women|Vicente Blasco Ibez
Morality has been ceremoniously extruded from the door only to be brought in again by the window.
Familiar Studies of Men and Books|Robert Louis Stevenson
They were conducted to the apartments of the distinguished minister, and formally and ceremoniously ushered into his presence.
Dikes and Ditches|Oliver Optic

British Dictionary definitions for ceremoniously

ceremonious

/ (ˌsɛrɪˈməʊnɪəs) /

adjective

especially or excessively polite or formal

observing ceremony; involving formalities

Derived Formsceremoniously, adverbceremoniousness, noun

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 ceremoniously

ceremonious

adj.

1550s, from Middle French cérémonieux or directly from Late Latin caerimoniosus, from Latin caerimonia (see ceremony). Meaning "full of show and ceremony" is from 1610s. Related: Ceremoniously; ceremoniousness.

ceremonious

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of ceremonious

Examples from the Web for ceremoniously

ceremonious

adjective

ceremonious