ritualistic
Following sacred protocols
Ritualistic describes actions performed as part of a ritual or in a ritual-like manner—formal, repetitive, and following a set pattern.
The word often appears in contexts of religious or ceremonial practice: ritualistic sacrifice, ritualistic chanting.
It can also describe secular behavior that has become compulsively routine: Her morning coffee preparation was almost ritualistic.
Giving up something precious
- altarSacred ritual table
- pietySincere religious devotion
- sanctityQuality of being inviolable
- holinessSacred spiritual purity
devotion · reverence · veneration · worship · sacrament · blessing · pilgrimage · propitiation
Regular sequence of actions
- compulsiveUnable to stop oneself
- obsessiveConsumed by fixation
- automaticOperating without intervention
- ingrainedFirmly established by habit
repetitive · mechanical · unvarying · systematic · fixed · entrenched · second-nature · methodical
Formal moving line
- coronationCeremony installing a sovereign
- inaugurationFormal beginning ceremony
- ordinationClergy appointment ceremony
- investitureCeremony conferring rank
commencement · convocation · pageantry · solemnity · liturgy · regalia · pomp · fanfare
Spoken magical formula
- chantRepetitive rhythmic phrase
- shamanIndigenous spiritual healer
- amuletWorn protective token
- talismanMagical protective charm
conjuration · sorcery · witchcraft · divination · spellcasting · necromancy · voodoo · hex
Family line of descent
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- ritesFormal ceremonial acts
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- lineageDescent from progenitors
lore · mythology · observance · clan · tribe · kinship · legacy · customs
Representational sign or device
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- significanceQuality of mattering
- representationDepiction or likeness
- archetypeOriginal model for copies
motif · insignia · token · effigy · reenactment · gesture · regalia · mask
sacrifice
Giving up something precious
holiness · devotion · reverence · veneration · worship · sacrament · blessing · pilgrimage · propitiation · ablution
routine
Regular sequence of actions
- compulsiveUnable to stop oneself
- obsessiveConsumed by fixation
- automaticOperating without intervention
ingrained · repetitive · mechanical · unvarying · systematic · fixed · entrenched · second-nature · methodical · regimented
procession
Formal moving line
- coronationCeremony installing a sovereign
- inaugurationFormal beginning ceremony
- ordinationClergy appointment ceremony
investiture · commencement · convocation · pageantry · solemnity · liturgy · regalia · pomp · fanfare · vesture
incantation
Spoken magical formula
talisman · conjuration · sorcery · witchcraft · divination · spellcasting · necromancy · voodoo · hex · curse
ancestry
Family line of descent
lineage · lore · mythology · observance · clan · tribe · kinship · legacy · customs · initiation
emblem
Representational sign or device
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- significanceQuality of mattering
- representationDepiction or likeness
archetype · motif · insignia · token · effigy · reenactment · gesture · regalia · mask · costume
ritualisticinformal
Relaxed, not official
casual · unstructured · free-form · nonritualistic · unscripted
ritualisticspontaneous
Arising without external cause
impromptu · impulsive · unplanned · off-the-cuff · extemporaneous
ritualisticpractical
Suited for real use
functional · utilitarian · pragmatic · matter-of-fact · businesslike
- ritualistic murderCeremonial taking of life
- ritualistic sacrificeCeremonial killing for divine favor
- ritualistic behaviorFormalized, repetitive symbolic actions