ritual

[rich-oo-uhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ritual ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite.

a system or collection of religious or other rites.

observance of set forms in public worship.

a book of rites or ceremonies.

a book containing the offices to be used by priests in administering the sacraments and for visitation of the sick, burial of the dead, etc.

a prescribed or established rite, ceremony, proceeding, or service: the ritual of the dead.

prescribed, established, or ceremonial acts or features collectively, as in religious services.

any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner.

a prescribed code of behavior regulating social conduct, as that exemplified by the raising of one's hat or the shaking of hands in greeting.

Psychiatry. a specific act, as hand-washing, performed repetitively to a pathological degree, occurring as a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

adjective

of the nature of or practiced as a rite or ritual: a ritual dance.

of or relating to rites or ritual: ritual laws.

Origin of ritual

1560–70; < Latin rītuālis, equivalent to rītu-, stem of rītus rite + -ālis -al¹

Related formsrit·u·al·ly, adverban·ti·rit·u·al, adjectivepro·rit·u·al, adjectiveun·rit·u·al, adjectiveun·rit·u·al·ly, adverb

Synonyms for ritual

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ritual ON THESAURUS.COM

11. ceremonial, formal, sacramental.

Synonym study

1. See ceremony.

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

Related Words for ritual

observance, formality, stereotype, habit, practice, custom, liturgy, act, routine, rite, procedure, protocol, form, service, solemnity, ordinance, sacrament, communion, convention, usage

Examples from the Web for ritual

Contemporary Examples of ritual

The family was taking some private moments for a closing of the coffin in keeping with Chinese ritual.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss
Michael Daly
January 5, 2015
What ritual did some celebrities start engaging in over the summer?
Michael Tomasky’s Year-End Quiz: Test Your 2014 News Knowledge
Michael Tomasky
December 26, 2014
Followers had traveled many miles to mourn the loss, and aid in the ritual washing, dressing, and honoring of the body.
Jail Threats for Sierra Leone Ebola Victims’ Families
Abby Haglage
December 10, 2014
Wicca includes ceremony and ritual that serves the union of the divine with nature rather than embracing a personal god.
‘Gods of Suburbia’: Dina Goldstein’s Arresting Photo Series on Religion vs. Consumerism
Dina Goldstein
November 8, 2014
Ghusul is a ritual cleansing from head to toe, in this instance performed with all the solemnity of a trip to a water park.
ISIS Has a Bigger Coalition Than We Do
Michael Daly
October 15, 2014

Historical Examples of ritual

Throughout the ritual of the day he could not grow accustomed to saying good-bye.
The Education of Eric Lane
Stephen McKenna
It is very remarkable, and although infallible, I never read it in any ritual.
The Phantom World
Augustin Calmet
They lead a sort of ritual dance, that most of us have agreed to take seriously.
The Rescue
Joseph Conrad
The interests of the prophets, however, do not centre in ritual.
History of Religion
Allan Menzies
In this the Roman ritual is markedly different from the Greek.
History of Religion
Allan Menzies

British Dictionary definitions for ritual

ritual

noun

the prescribed or established form of a religious or other ceremony

such prescribed forms in general or collectively

stereotyped activity or behaviour

psychol any repetitive behaviour, such as hand-washing, performed by a person with a compulsive personality disorder

any formal act, institution, or procedure that is followed consistentlythe ritual of the law

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of religious, social, or other rituals

Derived Formsritually, adverb

Word Origin for ritual

C16: from Latin rītuālis, from rītus rite

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 ritual

adj.

1560s, from Middle French ritual or directly from Latin ritualis "relating to (religious) rites," from ritus "rite" (see rite). Related: Ritually.

nj.

1640s, from ritual (adj.).

ritual in Medicine

ritual

[rĭch′ōō-əl]

n.

A detailed act or series of acts carried out by an individual to relieve anxiety or to forestall the development of anxiety.