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
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Recent Examples of cults
Japan was stunned into a mainstream awareness of cults in 1995, when Aum Shinrikyo, a vaguely Buddhist meditation sect, released sarin gas in the Tokyo subway, killing more than a dozen and injuring thousands.
—
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
All the lore about cults and fog worlds is a tangled web of nonsense, the characters are wafer-thin, and the whole thing is really way too long for how little plot is in it.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Any resemblance to real-life movements of the mid-20th century that edged into being considered cults was, er, coincidental.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2026
Based on Jon Krakauer's novel of the same name, Under the Banner of Heaven is a raw, gritty look into the world of fundamentalist Mormonism and the power of cults, all through Pyre's eyes.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
Galt says that throughout the long postproduction process, to the best of his memory, Kubrick never once hinted at any real-life cults.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
But there is plenty of humor that plays at the expense of transgender people, ethnic minorities, women, gay men, religious cults and Fabio.
—Phil Stark, HollywoodReporter, 4 Dec. 2025
Is there a timeline, a regulatory environment, in which the internet does not turn into a highly efficient manufacturer of niche suicide cults?
—Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Teaming with a colorful cast of characters, their investigation sends them on an expedition that takes in Scottish politics, AI, cults, secret agents, smugglers, and vegan record shops.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
All the lore about cults and fog worlds is a tangled web of nonsense, the characters are wafer-thin, and the whole thing is really way too long for how little plot is in it.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Any resemblance to real-life movements of the mid-20th century that edged into being considered cults was, er, coincidental.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2026
Based on Jon Krakauer's novel of the same name, Under the Banner of Heaven is a raw, gritty look into the world of fundamentalist Mormonism and the power of cults, all through Pyre's eyes.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
Galt says that throughout the long postproduction process, to the best of his memory, Kubrick never once hinted at any real-life cults.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
But there is plenty of humor that plays at the expense of transgender people, ethnic minorities, women, gay men, religious cults and Fabio.
—Phil Stark, HollywoodReporter, 4 Dec. 2025
Is there a timeline, a regulatory environment, in which the internet does not turn into a highly efficient manufacturer of niche suicide cults?
—Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Teaming with a colorful cast of characters, their investigation sends them on an expedition that takes in Scottish politics, AI, cults, secret agents, smugglers, and vegan record shops.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cults
religions
Noun
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The government dissolved Aum as a tax-exempt religious organization, effectively bankrupting it, and began to scrutinize other new religions, including the Unification Church.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Like other Christian missionaries in the Western Hemisphere, Franciscans of the day argued that Indigenous peoples needed to abandon their traditional religions as part of the process of conversion.—
Peter C. Mancall,
The Conversation,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cults.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cults. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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