ritualistic

adjective

rit·​u·​al·​is·​tic ˌri-chə-wə-ˈli-stik 

-chə-ˈli-;

ˌrich-wə-

1

: of, in accordance with, or characterized by the use of ritual: such as

a

: relating to or done as a ceremony or rite

a ritualistic dance

For Rick, the clincher came in 2001, when he discovered 20 identical trumpets, made from a type of conch shell … . The trumpets were highly decorated, indicating a ritualistic use.

—Michael Brooks

Ritualistic language (such as the oyez, oyez, oyez or hear ye, hear ye, hear ye that opens a court session) separates legal proceedings from ordinary life, marking them as being special and important.

—Peter Tiersma

b

: done in accordance with social custom or normal protocol

… made the ritualistic visits to polling places, making a last-minute bid for support in this intense and important contest.

—Jeanne Meserve

c

: of, relating to, or being an act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner

The repetitive nature of online tasks—checking e-mail, searching for data, sending replies—has a soothing, ritualistic quality.

—Maia Szalavitz

2

: stressing the use of ritual forms : adhering to or devoted to ritualism

… the structure held ritualistic significance that spanned several historical eras before the arrival of the Spanish.

—Christopher Parker

We can look at Stonehenge not only to envision the ancient, ritualistic people who built it, but also to imagine a version of ourselves closer to nature … according to Wisser.

—Jed Oelbaum

ritualistically

ˌri-chə-wə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

-chə-ˈli-;

ˌrich-wə-

adverb

Examples of ritualistic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

She had been dismembered into 14 pieces, in what seemed to be a ritualistic manner. — Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

Pomeroy and her colleagues excavated the remains from inside Shanidar Cave, an archaeological site in Iraqi Kurdistan famous for containing evidence of ritualistic Neanderthal burials. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026

Experts suspect the pigment may be cinnabar, a mercury sulfide mineral that held immense spiritual and ritualistic value for the Chimu, explicitly reserved for high-ranking members of society. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026

There is something almost ritualistic about people gathering around music, dancing together and sharing the same energy. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ritualistic

• agonistic
• altruistic
• animistic
• aphoristic
• atheistic
• atomistic
• cabalistic
• calvinistic
• chauvinistic
• dualistic
• egoistic
• egotistic