Synonyms of rites

rites

noun

plural of rite

as in rituals

an oft-repeated action or series of actions performed in accordance with tradition or a set of rules

the annual summer rite of loading up the car for the big family vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rituals
• ceremonies
• ceremonials
• observances
• traditions
• celebrations
• formalities
• solemnities
• forms
• practices
• standards
• customs
• habits
• civilities
• protocols
• graces
• services
• manners
• proprieties
• etiquettes
• amenities
• conventions
• mores
• decorums
• ways

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rites

Grieving families were made visible, giving voice and shape to those who were lost, as people held symbolic burial rites or went on their own journeys to look for loved ones. — ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026

The symbolic funeral pyres were surrounded by offerings to Hindu deities as relatives gathered to perform the final rites. — Shristi Kafle, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Its rise also marks the beginning of the Hindu celebration of Pitru Paksha, during which worshippers perform rites to honor ancestors by offering prayers and food to past members of their families. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 31 Aug. 2026

On a construction site in Hainan Province, on the sub-tropical southern tip of China, a reactor barely the height of a four-story building has spent 2026 working through the final rites of commissioning that precede commercial nuclear power. — Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026

Many of its rites can be performed by anyone, but there have often been individuals with a special aptitude for and knowledge of these practices. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026

Emergency workers brought out a coffin and loaded it onto an ambulance, which will transport the bodies to their hometowns for funeral rites. — CBS News, 8 Aug. 2026

Pentheus, for his part, is curious to witness his mother under the spell of Bacchic rites, and this curiosity results in his death at the hands of Agave, unable to recognize her own son due to her Dionysian frenzy. — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 31 July 2026

The South Carolina Republican, who died earlier this month at 71, was celebrated in back-to-back departure rites—a morning ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, followed by a funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026