ancestor worship
noun
: the custom of venerating deceased ancestors who are considered still a part of the family and whose spirits are believed to have the power to intervene in the affairs of the living
Examples of ancestor worship in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Through the rituals of ancestor worship, the dancers and I honor our foremothers and discover our connections to them.
—
Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
Musk’s fixation on Mars also functions as a kind of ancestor worship, echoing a family mythology of flight from decline.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2025
Likewise, members of the fraternal societies blended Central African traditions focused on ancestor worship with Portuguese and African forms of Catholicism.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 18 July 2025
Family members also make offerings and engage in other rituals related to ancestor worship.
—Mario Poceski, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2024
Mayans, Incans and other Native Americans had great reverence for the dead and ancestor worship was culturally important.
—al, 2 Nov. 2022
The three-day holiday is moored in sacred rituals centered on ancestor worship, such as the jesa ceremony, which is believed to strengthen the bond between the living and the deceased.
—Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2022
Some remains were subsequently disinterred and their skulls reburied with other bodies, possibly as a form of ancestor worship.
—Jennifer Hattam, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2016
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Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
Musk’s fixation on Mars also functions as a kind of ancestor worship, echoing a family mythology of flight from decline.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2025
Likewise, members of the fraternal societies blended Central African traditions focused on ancestor worship with Portuguese and African forms of Catholicism.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 18 July 2025
Family members also make offerings and engage in other rituals related to ancestor worship.
—Mario Poceski, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2024
Mayans, Incans and other Native Americans had great reverence for the dead and ancestor worship was culturally important.
—al, 2 Nov. 2022
The three-day holiday is moored in sacred rituals centered on ancestor worship, such as the jesa ceremony, which is believed to strengthen the bond between the living and the deceased.
—Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2022
Some remains were subsequently disinterred and their skulls reburied with other bodies, possibly as a form of ancestor worship.
—Jennifer Hattam, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2016
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ancestor%20worship. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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