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Definition of ritual noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

ritual

noun
 
/ˈrɪtʃuəl/
 
/ˈrɪtʃuəl/
[countable, uncountable]
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  1. a series of actions that are always performed in the same way, especially as part of a religious ceremony
    • religious rituals
    • She objects to the ritual of organized religion.
    Collocations ReligionReligionBeing religious
    • believe in God/​Christ/​Allah/​free will/​predestination/​heaven and hell/​an afterlife/​reincarnation
    • be/​become a believer/​an atheist/​an agnostic/​a Christian/​Muslim/​Hindu/​Buddhist, etc.
    • convert to/​practise a religion/​Buddhism/​Catholicism/​Christianity/​Islam/​Judaism, etc.
    • go to church/(North American English) temple (= the synagogue)
    • go to the local church/​mosque/​synagogue/​gurdwara
    • belong to a church/​a religious community
    • join/​enter the church/​a convent/​a monastery/​a religious sect/​the clergy/​the priesthood
    • praise/​worship/​obey/​serve/​glorify God
    Celebrations and ritual
    • attend/​hold/​conduct/​lead a service
    • perform a ceremony/​a rite/​a ritual/​a baptism/​the Hajj/​a mitzvah
    • carry out/​perform a sacred/​burial/​funeral/​fertility/​purification rite
    • go on/​make a pilgrimage
    • celebrate Christmas/​Easter/​Eid/​Ramadan/​Hanukkah/​Passover/​Diwali
    • observe/​break the Sabbath/​a fast/​Ramadan
    • deliver/​preach/​hear a sermon
    • lead/​address the congregation
    • say/​recite a prayer/​blessing
    Religious texts and ideas
    • preach/​proclaim/​spread the word of God/​the Gospel/​the message of Islam
    • study/​follow the dharma/​the teachings of Buddha
    • read/​study/​understand/​interpret scripture/​the Bible/​the Koran/​the gospel/​the Torah
    • be based on/​derive from divine revelation
    • commit/​consider something heresy/​sacrilege
    Religious belief and experience
    • seek/​find/​gain enlightenment/​wisdom
    • strengthen/​lose your faith
    • keep/​practise/​practice/​abandon the faith
    • save/​purify/​lose your soul
    • obey/​follow/​keep/​break/​violate a commandment/​Islamic law/​Jewish law
    • be/​accept/​do God’s will
    • receive/​experience divine grace
    • achieve/​attain enlightenment/​salvation/​nirvana
    • undergo a conversion/​rebirth/​reincarnation
    • hear/​answer a prayer
    • commit/​confess/​forgive a sin
    • do/​perform penance
    Extra Examples
    • Boys undergo a circumcision ritual to usher them into adulthood.
    • It takes several days to complete the ritual.
    • Their funerals follow the rituals of the Catholic church.
    • They practise/​practice certain rituals in connection with rites of passage.
    • Women's roles in the rituals of many religions have been limited.
    • rituals performed by Druids at Stonehenge on Midsummer's Day
    • secret rituals in the sacred forest
    • Don't let celebration of this festival become an empty ritual.
    • In an elaborate and impressive ritual, Aaron and his sons are instituted to the priesthood.
    • Many folk dances have their origins in ancient pagan rituals.
    Topics Religion and festivalsc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • ancient
    • primitive
    • traditional
    verb + ritual
    • conduct
    • do
    • enact
    ritual + verb
    • take place
    preposition
    • in a/​the ritual
    See full entry
  2. something that is done regularly and always in the same way
    • Sunday lunch with the in-laws has become something of a ritual.
    Extra Examples
    • A cognac before bed is one of our little nightly rituals.
    • Bargaining at the markets is now just an empty ritual.
    • Eating around the table was a family ritual that could not be broken.
    • He makes an elaborate ritual of washing the car.
    • Her visits to her aged father have become a ritual.
    • Jake began the evening ritual of asking about everyone's day.
    • She had to go through the ritual of kissing the toys before her son would go to sleep.
    • He took to the sauna ritual with great enthusiasm.
    • It was all part of the ritual of returning home.
    • She had been following this daily ritual for several months.
    • The bargaining isn't even a formality, it is just an empty ritual.
    • There had always been this little ritual—chocolates after lunch on Sundays.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • ancient
    • primitive
    • traditional
    verb + ritual
    • conduct
    • do
    • enact
    ritual + verb
    • take place
    preposition
    • in a/​the ritual
    See full entry
  3. Word Originlate 16th cent. (as an adjective): from Latin ritualis, from ritus ‘(religious) usage’.
See ritual in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee ritual in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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