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ritual

[ rich-oo-uhl ]
/ ˈrÉȘtʃ u əl /
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See synonyms for: ritual / rituals on Thesaurus.com

noun
adjective
of the nature of or practiced as a rite or ritual: a ritual dance.
of or relating to rites or ritual: ritual laws.
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Origin of ritual

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

synonym study for ritual

1. See ceremony.

OTHER WORDS FROM ritual

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ritual in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ritual

ritual
/ (ˈrÉȘtjʊəl) /

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 forms of ritual

ritually, 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
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