religion

Definition of religionnext
1
as in cult
a body of beliefs and practices regarding the supernatural and the worship of one or more deities the Jewish religion has followers in many parts of the globe

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2
as in faith
belief and trust in and loyalty to God without his religion, he would not have been able to survive all the difficulties he has faced over the years

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of religion Hughie, Butcher, MM, and Annie head to Vought Studios and break into duos to investigate Oh Father, who’s spearheading the country’s abrupt transition to the Democratic Church of America as the national religion. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 13 May 2026 Trump is no stranger to blurring the lines of religion and politics. Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026 The Safavids had been in conflict with the Sunni forces on two frontiers, with Ottoman aggression to the west and Uzbek opposition to the east, ever since Ismāʿīl I, great-grandfather of ʿAbbās I, made Shiʿism Persia’s state religion in the 16th century. Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026 White bison are considered sacred and hold great significance in many Native American religions, according to the National Park Service. Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for religion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for religion
Noun
  • Mitchell’s music variously evokes gospel, blues, working songs and the ravings of a rabid cult.
    Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
  • The 21,000-square-foot home sits on the land where actress Sharon Tate, who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant, was killed in August 1969 by followers of cult leader Charles Manson.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Noun
  • What was perhaps distinct to this late twentieth-century moment, along with the elevation of the rational (or more precisely, economic model consistent) expectations of market participants, was the faith that central banks were already implementing such an ideal rule.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
  • What begins as a criminal case becomes a clash between the State, faith and ancestral knowledge, revealing a force the law cannot contain.
    Roberto Prieto, Variety, 13 May 2026
Noun
  • That’s why all of my colleagues on the city council support my campaign for Senate, regardless of their political persuasion.
    Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
  • And a socially responsible advertising profession is not all about persuasion and instead respects the rights, intelligence, and well-being of consumers and considers society as a whole when raising awareness about the benefits of the client’s products or services.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • My grandmother stirred pots at dawn with instinct and devotion.
    Vikas Khanna, Time, 13 May 2026
  • But professional traction is evident, whether in the looming European tour or more purely via the devotion and blend of punters fronting up to lose themselves in Mercy Girl.
    Matt Thompson, SPIN, 12 May 2026
Noun
  • Musk is currently embroiled in a court battle against OpenAI, accusing CEO Sam Altman and Greg Brockman of abandoning the company’s original nonprofit creed of developing open-source AI to benefit humans by turning it into a for-profit entity.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 13 May 2026
  • But Fredrik Berselius’s cooking is too weird and wild to fit the bounds of one creed.
    Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Noun
  • The Shiʿi sect of Islam believes that Prophet Muhammad’s cousin, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, was the prophet’s rightful successor as the leader of the Islamic world; the Sunnis believe that a leader should have been chosen from among the masses, leading to tensions between these two major Islamic sects.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
  • Saddam was a Sunni and members of the sect disproportionately held top leadership positions during his time.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Religion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/religion. Accessed 16 May. 2026.

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