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The Overlap of Cults and Culture
Cult, which shares an origin with culture and cultivate, comes from the Latin cultus, a noun with meanings ranging from "tilling, cultivation" to "training or education" to "adoration." In English, cult has evolved a number of meanings following a fairly logical path. The earliest known uses of the word, recorded in the 17th century, broadly denoted "worship." From here cult came to refer to a specific branch of a religion or the rites and practices of that branch, as in "the cult of Dionysus." By the early 18th century, cult could refer to a non-religious admiration or devotion, such as to a person, idea, or fad ("the cult of success"). Finally, by the 19th century, the word came to be used of "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious."
Examples of cult in a Sentence
Marie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2025
Country Fried Steak has its own cult following, and one bite might just convince you of the reason.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 17 July 2025
When the doomsday prediction from a cult leader doesn’t come true, adherents don’t pack up their Nikes and find another cult.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 16 July 2025
Those throwbacks, ironically, are the most fun aspect of this new installment, which is unlikely to garner the same sort of cult following as the 1997 original.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cult
Cite this Entry
“Cult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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