religion

noun

re·li·gion ri-ˈli-jən

Synonyms of religion next

: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

a(1)

: the service and worship of God or the supernatural

(2)

: commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance

: the state of a religious

a nun in her 20th year of religion

: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness

religionless

ri-ˈli-jən-ləs

adjective

Examples of religion in a Sentence

Many people turn to religion for comfort in a time of crisis. There are many religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Shinto is a religion that is unique to Japan. Hockey is a religion in Canada. Politics are a religion to him. Where I live, high school football is religion. Food is religion in this house. See More

Recent Examples on the Web The poll, which was conducted from May 11-15, surveyed 1,680 adults nationwide on their feelings about religion. —

Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2023 Travelling to rural Bhutan where religion is more popular than politics, the election supervisor discovers that a monk is planning a mysterious ceremony for the election day. —

Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 Oct. 2023 As a political ideology, Hindu nationalism should be distinguished from Hinduism, a religion. —

Phillip M. Carter, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2023 Religious extremists have tried to tie their destruction of democracy into our history by insisting that the Founders believed that citizens must be virtuous, and that religion alone can create virtue. —

Heather Cox Richardson, The New Republic, 26 Sep. 2023 The core five-night program includes mysterious treks to alpine glacier lakes and a visit to a medieval village believed to be the last place in Mustang where the pre-Buddhist religion of Bon is still practiced. —

Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2023 The previous year, heavily armed Indian troops attacked Sikh separatists in Amritsar’s Golden Temple, the holiest shrine in the Sikh religion. —

Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023 Latter-day Saints view a temple as a House of the Lord, a place where the faithful participate in their religion’s highest ordinances, including eternal marriages. —

Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023 In Islam, the main religion of the city, consuming alcohol is prohibited. —

Natalie Preddie, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'religion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English religioun, from Anglo-French religiun, Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back — more at rely

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Time Traveler

The first known use of religion was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century