ritual
noun /ˈrɪtʃuəl/
/ˈrɪtʃuəl/
[countable, uncountable]- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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 ExamplesTopics Religion and festivalsc1- 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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- ancient
- primitive
- traditional
- …
- conduct
- do
- enact
- …
- take place
- in a/the ritual
- 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
- …
- conduct
- do
- enact
- …
- take place
- in a/the ritual
Word Originlate 16th cent. (as an adjective): from Latin ritualis, from ritus ‘(religious) usage’.