ritual

[rich-oo-uhl]

noun

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

2. a system or collection of religious or other rites.

3. observance of set forms in public worship.

4. a book of rites or ceremonies.

5. 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.

6. a prescribed or established rite, ceremony, proceeding, or service.

   the ritual of the dead.

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

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

9. 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.

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

adjective

1. of the nature of or practiced as a rite or ritual.

   a ritual dance.

   Synonyms: sacramental, formal, ceremonial

2. of or relating to rites or ritual.

   ritual laws.

ritual

/ ˈrɪtjʊəl /

noun

1. the prescribed or established form of a religious or other ceremony

2. such prescribed forms in general or collectively

3. stereotyped activity or behaviour

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

5. any formal act, institution, or procedure that is followed consistently

   the ritual of the law

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• ritually adverb
• antiritual adjective
• proritual adjective
• unritual adjective
• unritually adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ritual¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin rītuālis, from rītu(s) rite + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ritual¹

C16: from Latin rītuālis , from rītus _rite

Synonym Study

See ceremony.

Example Sentences

He professed a hatred for “literary life” while participating in most of its rituals, from autographing to prize-giving.

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Boozing after big races used to be a ritual for many top runners.

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But for years, it was an annual summer ritual.

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At the temple, Prapakaran, the software engineer, walked 11 circles around the inner sanctum, part of the ritual for currying favor with the Visa God.

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Vallieries, who’d only won one prior race as a pro, was so unaccustomed to the ritual she appeared baffled by the protocols of her medal ceremony.

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Related Words

• act 
• custom 
• formality 
• habit 
• liturgy 
• observance 
• practice 
• procedure 
• rite 
• routine 
• stereotype