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ritual
[ rich-oo-uhl ]
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.
Synonyms: , ,
- of or relating to rites or ritual:
ritual laws.
ritual
/ ˈɪʊə /
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 consistently
the ritual of the law
adjective
- of, relating to, or characteristic of religious, social, or other rituals
Derived Forms
- ˈٳܲ, adverb
Other Word Forms
- u·· adverb
- t·u· adjective
- ·u· adjective
- ܲ·u· adjective
- un·u·· adverb
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of ritual1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
He is here to participate in a ritual that he observes four days a week, a pursuit that keeps his “head in shape.”
The short ritual has become standard at public events and recognises traditional land owners.
August Wilson made it his mission to put the rituals of Black life onstage, to give representation to the daily customs of a people who had been denied visibility in mainstream culture.
Not since the death of John Paul II, six days after Easter in 2005, have we seen the traditions and rituals of a church mourning its reigning Pope.
The group, desperate to contain the mounting chaos, formed a circle and joined hands — all except Matthew, who remained outside their ritual.
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