dark ritual
Sinister ceremonial practice
Dark ritual refers to a ceremony or practice associated with the occult, black magic, or malevolent supernatural forces.
The phrase evokes secrecy, forbidden knowledge, and sinister intent—sacrifices by candlelight, invocations of dark powers.
In gaming and fantasy fiction, dark rituals are specific magical procedures with mechanical effects: The necromancer performed a dark ritual to raise the dead.
Used loosely, it can describe any habit with mock-ominous undertones: My morning coffee is a dark ritual.
- occultConcealed from view
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- blood sacrificeRitual killing for deities
- human sacrificeRitual offering of life
- altarSacred ritual table
candles · chanting · summoning · blood · incantation · circle · sacred geometry · demon · evil spirit · coven · moonlight · full moon · witching hour · hooded · robes · forbidden · arcane · ceremony
- dark magicblack magic, sorcery, witchcraft, wizardry, necromancy
- Demonsdemons, demon, devils, devil, fiends
- necromancynecromancer, necromancy, undead, reanimation, lich
- LovecraftianCthulhu, Necronomicon, Arkham, cosmic horror, Call of Cthulhu
- SatanSatan, devil, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles
dark ritualblessing
Prayer seeking divine favor
benediction · prayer · holy sacrament · sacred rite · consecration
dark ritualchurch service
Organized Christian worship gathering
worship service · holy mass · liturgy · sacrament · religious observance
dark, ritual, darken, darkened, darkening, darker, darkest, darkly, darkness