adj, noun ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A rite; a repeated set of actions, especially in religious contexts. countable, uncountable

   "The priests carried out the religious ritual carefully."

2. 2
   stereotyped behavior wordnet
3. 3
   any customary observance or practice wordnet
4. 4
   the prescribed procedure for conducting religious ceremonies wordnet

Adjective

1. 1
   Related to a rite or repeated set of actions.

   "They performed the ritual lighting of the candles."

Adjective

1. 1
   of or relating to or employed in social rites or rituals wordnet
2. 2
   of or relating to or characteristic of religious rituals wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

amenitiesautomaticbaccalaureate servicebaptismalbon tonbreviary

Example

More examples

"A sacred ritual took place in the magnificent temple."

Etymology

From Latin rītuālis (adjective), from rītus (“rite”) + -ālis.

Related phrases

bi-ritualritual Ten Commandmentsritual abuseritual servitudedaily activity

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.