superstitious
Americanadjective
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of the nature of, characterized by, or proceeding from superstition.
superstitious fears.
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pertaining to or connected with superstition.
superstitious legends.
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believing in, full of, or influenced by superstition.
adjective
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disposed to believe in superstition
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of or relating to superstition
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of superstitious
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English supersticious, from Latin superstitiōsus, from superstiti(ō) superstition + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
Superstitious describes a belief in chance or magic. If you're superstitious, you may avoid walking under ladders, spilling salt, or passing black cats — all because you think they will bring you bad luck. Plenty of people don't think of themselves as superstitious, yet they may do things like knock on wood or refuse to open an umbrella indoors. Or they believe their team will win if they wear their lucky socks. These actions are all superstitious, demonstrating a belief based on magic or luck rather than on reason. The Latin word that superstitious comes from is superstitionem, excessive fear of the gods.
Vocabulary lists containing superstitious
The First Rule of Punk
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With the Fire on High
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The View from Saturday
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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.
More than 160 of the 940-plus punished officials—or over one in six—were cited for engaging in superstitious activities and beliefs, which the officially atheist Communist Party prohibits for its members.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Cobolli jokes that his progress in Paris is also down to his superstitious nature.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
The pressure is so great that some superstitious students avoid washing their hair or trimming their nails as the single exam day every November approaches—fearful knowledge might slip away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 3, 2026
Several weeks have passed since then, and the superstitious interpreter still wears his lucky boxers on days Yamamoto pitches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025
And while Gingersnipes was not the superstitious type, she could not help but think that this new life was some sort of sign from Clare.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
