ritualism
|rit-u-al-ism|
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/ˈrɪtʃuəlɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˈrɪtʃu(ə)lɪzəm/
focus on rites/ceremony (often formal)
Etymology
'ritualism' is formed in English from the noun 'ritual' plus the suffix '-ism' (denoting practice, system, or doctrine). 'Ritual' ultimately comes from Latin 'ritualis', from 'ritus' meaning 'rite'.
'ritus' in Latin gave rise to Medieval Latin 'ritualis' meaning 'pertaining to rites'; this passed into Old French as forms like 'rituel' and then into Middle English as 'ritual', with the modern English noun 'ritualism' later formed by adding '-ism'.
Initially related simply to 'things pertaining to rites' (ritual procedures), the term evolved to include the sense of a doctrine or movement based on rites and, later, the critical sense of 'overemphasis on form' or 'formalism'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the practice or performance of religious or other formal rites and ceremonies.
The ritualism of the ancient festival drew visitors from across the region.
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Noun 2
excessive adherence to prescribed forms, ceremonies, or routines; formalism (often used critically).
The reformers criticized the institution's ritualism, arguing it got in the way of real change.
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Noun 3
in sociology (per Merton), a mode of individual adaptation characterized by strict conformity to rules while abandoning the cultural goals those rules were meant to achieve.
Merton described ritualism as one response to the disjunction between cultural goals and institutional means.
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Noun 4
specifically, the 19th-century Anglican movement emphasizing elaborate liturgy and ceremonial practice (also called Anglo-Catholic ritualism).
Ritualism in the Anglican Church sparked heated debates in the 1800s.
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Last updated: 2025/10/18 23:01