the indigenous religion of Japan, polytheistic in character and incorporating the worship of a number of ethnic divinities, from the chief of which the emperor is believed to be descended
Derived forms
Shintoism (ˈShintoism)
noun
Shintoist (ˈShintoist)
noun, adjective
Word origin
C18: from Japanese: the way of the gods, from Chinese shên gods + tao way
Shinto in American English
(ˈʃɪntoʊ)
noun
a principal religion of Japan, with emphasis upon the worship of nature and of ancestors and ancient heroes and upon the divinity of the emperor: prior to 1945, the state religion
Derived forms
Shintoism (ˈShintoˌism)
noun
Shintoist (ˈShintoist)
noun, adjective
Shintoistic (ˌShintoˈistic)
adjective
Word origin
Jpn shintō, shindō < SinoJpn shin, god (< Chin shen) + tō, dō, way
Examples of 'Shinto' in a sentence
Shinto
The Buddhist monk in the orange beach towel and swimming cap. The Shinto priest in the white sheet and black beret.
Tony Parsons MAN AND WIFE (2002)
The tolling of the Shinto bell echoed through the room, a mournful commentary on the Western-style suicide.