as in cults
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 religions
Civil rights concerns While more than 90 percent of Bangladesh's population is Muslim, its political system ensures equal rights for minority religions.
—
Shamim Chowdhury, NPR, 16 Feb. 2026
Members of another of the world’s largest religions are also about to embark on their season of prayer and fasting.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Bread is life, bread is love, and bread is God in some religions and cultures.
—Manolo Betancur, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, in many Christian religions.
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
These are the desires that religions warn us about.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
That can be a strength when dealing with a locker room full of alpha males from different regions, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
As chief chaplains, Dolan and Bernard will oversee a team of clergy members representing the Catholic, Methodist, Jewish, Pentecostal, Muslim and Greek Orthodox religions, according to the NYPD’s website.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
But all of those religions are teaching us how to purify our minds and become a good person in our society.
—Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2026
Shamim Chowdhury, NPR, 16 Feb. 2026
Members of another of the world’s largest religions are also about to embark on their season of prayer and fasting.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Bread is life, bread is love, and bread is God in some religions and cultures.
—Manolo Betancur, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, in many Christian religions.
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
These are the desires that religions warn us about.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
That can be a strength when dealing with a locker room full of alpha males from different regions, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
As chief chaplains, Dolan and Bernard will oversee a team of clergy members representing the Catholic, Methodist, Jewish, Pentecostal, Muslim and Greek Orthodox religions, according to the NYPD’s website.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
But all of those religions are teaching us how to purify our minds and become a good person in our society.
—Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for religions
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
The files are more proof that elites of all persuasions seem plenty comfortable saying the quiet part out loud or engaging in egregious, shameless behavior, banking on a culture that has given up on demanding consequences.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Colleges and universities nationwide continue to grapple with polemic issues associated with the fair treatment of individuals of differing backgrounds, political persuasions, and sexuality.—
Blake D. Morant,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There is no single Sharia code, similar to how there is no single body of law for the hundreds of Christian sects throughout the world.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
But this year, Christian leaders across sects—including Catholics, Evangelicals, and Baptists—sounded the alarm on AI’s potential impact on family, human relationships, labor, and the church itself.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
More than a dozen speakers asked Texas’ State Board of Education to include the contributions of people from all cultures, faiths and backgrounds as the board revises state standards for social studies.—
Silas Allen,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Several warned that the promotion of this biblical doctrine will ostracize students of other faiths.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Religions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/religions. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
