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ritualism

American  
[rich-oo-uh-liz-uhm] / ˈrɪtʃ u əˌlɪz əm /

noun

  1. adherence to or insistence on ritual.

  2. the study of ritual practices or religious rites.

  3. excessive fondness for ritual.


ritualism British  
/ ˈrɪtjʊəˌlɪzəm /

noun

  1. emphasis, esp exaggerated emphasis, on the importance of rites and ceremonies

  2. the study of rites and ceremonies, esp magical or religious ones

"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

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of ritualism

First recorded in 1835–45; ritual + -ism


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

But the players also hinted at something less tangible, some swirl of selfhood and ritualism and sense memory, that week after week lured them back to the ice.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 30, 2023

Yet as these deities became more important, worship among the commoners turned more personal and private; singing as a form of prayer and ritualism inside the home became essential to daily lives.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

But for members of the Source Family, a group that some call a cult, it’s a way of life honed over decades of study and ritualism based in Western esotericism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2023

He calls “Parsifal” a “sacred opera with a spooky heart,” links its eerie Mass-like ritualism to the esoteric ceremonies of Theosophists and Rosicrucians and notes that Philip K. Dick responded profoundly to its religious syncretism.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2020

On the one hand, they are conducted along the lines of form, ceremony and ritualism; the other extreme results in excitement, ecstasy and fanaticism.

From Think A Book for To-day by Col. Wm. C. Hunter

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