religion

noun re·li·gion \ ri-ˈli-jən \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of religion

1 a : the state of a religious

a nun in her 20th year of religion

b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural

(2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance

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

3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness

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

—

religionless

play \ri-ˈli-jən-ləs\ adjective

See religion defined for English-language learners

See religion defined for kids

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.

Recent Examples of religion from the Web

The outreach website described Bowen as a regular contributor on Fox News as a correspondent on faith and religion.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Evangelist Acton Bowen responds to child sex charges: 'I have not done what I'm accused of'," 11 Apr. 2018
Kosovo is considered by Serbia's nationalists as the cradle of the Balkan state's statehood and religion.

— Fox News, "Orthodox Christians observe Easter with candles, prayers," 8 Apr. 2018
And religions have been telling elevating stories about selfless heroes for centuries, through texts such as the Bible or the Bhagavad Gita, a classic of Hindu literature.

— daniel burke, CNN, "Seeing the Pope help strangers made me tear up. Later I learned why.," 6 Apr. 2018
The government can't establish religion, but federal, state and municipal officials can open meetings with a prayer.

— richard wolf, USA TODAY, "What the First Amendment protects — and what it doesn't," 6 Apr. 2018
The Fair Housing Act, signed into law in 1968, protects individuals from housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin and religion.

— dwight adams, Indianapolis Star, "'Significant' housing discrimination found in Marion County, study says," 5 Apr. 2018
Does it betray an alarmingly shallow, stereotype-dependent understanding of the author’s past partners’ religion?

— ashley fetters, The Cut, "The Temptation of Over-Corrective Post-Breakup Rules," 4 Apr. 2018
According to McNeill, the internet’s focus on the visual—think: emojis, memes and gifs in place of text alone—has brought back symbolic communication, something most religions are steeped in.

— emma grey ellis, WIRED, "Witches, Frog-Gods, and the Deepening Schism of Internet Religions," 3 Apr. 2018
This event is organized by the CT Council for Inter-religious Understanding, the Muslim Coalition of CT, the Hartford Seminary and Avon Free Public Library and is a follow-up to the freedom of religion program.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 3 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'religion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of religion

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

religion Synonyms

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

RELIGION Defined for English Language Learners

religion

noun

Definition of religion for English Language Learners

: the belief in a god or in a group of gods
: an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods
: an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group