Synonyms of cults

cults

noun

plural of cult

as in religions

a body of beliefs and practices regarding the supernatural and the worship of one or more deities

an ancient cult that centered on the worship of the earth as the source of all life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• religions
• sects
• persuasions
• faiths
• creeds
• denominations
• credos
• communions
• theologies
• churches
• doctrines
• dogmas
• monotheisms
• paganisms
• polytheisms
• theisms
• heathenisms
• pantheisms
• deisms

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• agnosticism
• atheisms
• secularisms
• know-nothingisms
• nonbeliefs

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cults

Whether they’re built around apocalyptic beliefs, aliens, religion, or even romance, cults and the people who fall under their spell tend to make for irresistible subject matter. — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Aug. 2026

Has playing Bret or playing around in the world of The Shards rubbed off on you in terms of going down rabbit holes about Hollywood’s history around cults and serial killers? — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026

Scientists had begun revisiting anthropological accounts of hallucinogenic rituals—iboga ceremonies in Central Africa, peyote cults in the American Southwest. — Kimon De Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026

Perhaps a book that couched Castaneda’s story more deeply in the context of the ’70s counterculture and the nature of cults past and present would make his story clearer. — Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026

That’s obviously why the book is structured around six cults. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 17 June 2026

The Oscar nominee, 52, stars in the new Tribeca Film Festival premiere The Leader as Bonnie Lu Nettles, a founder of Heaven's Gate, one of the most notorious cults in American history. — Nigel Smith, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026

As with virtually all modern cults, followers of von Mierers were required to give him money. — Emma Banks, InStyle, 3 June 2026

As with most cults, things eventually turned dark in Eternal Values. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 1 June 2026