ceremonial
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or characterized by ceremony; formal; ritual.
a ceremonial occasion.
- Synonyms:
- ceremonious, conventional, solemn
- Antonyms:
- informal
-
used in or in connection with ceremonies.
ceremonial robes.
noun
-
a system of ceremonies, rites, or formalities prescribed for or observed on any particular occasion; a rite.
-
Roman Catholic Church.
-
the order for rites and ceremonies.
-
a book containing it.
-
-
formal behavior found at, or appropriate to, a certain occasion.
the ceremonial of a state banquet.
adjective
noun
-
the observance of formality, esp in etiquette
-
a plan for formal observances on a particular occasion; ritual
-
Christianity
-
the prescribed order of rites and ceremonies
-
a book containing this
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Other Word Forms
- anticeremonial adjective
- anticeremonialism noun
- anticeremonialist noun
- anticeremonially adverb
- ceremonialism noun
- ceremonialist noun
- ceremonially adverb
- nonceremonial adjective
- nonceremonially adverb
- preceremonial adjective
- unceremonial adjective
- unceremonially adverb
Etymology
Origin of ceremonial
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin cēremōniālis, Late Latin caerimōniālis. See ceremony, -al 1
Explanation
When an occasion is extremely formal and full of rituals, you can call it ceremonial. Your cousin's fancy wedding and your friend's bar mitzvah are both ceremonial events. The ritual of a new queen being crowned is ceremonial, with its pomp and formality. The way your family celebrates Thanksgiving might feel ceremonial to you as well, if everyone takes it very seriously and sticks to firm rules about what food to eat and who carves the turkey. Ceremonial originally described a purely religious ritual, from the Latin caerimonia, "holiness or sacredness."
Vocabulary lists containing ceremonial
"When Cultures Meet"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This pattern strongly suggests the bodies were not treated in a ceremonial or ritual way.
From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026
Jack Nicklaus says he has no plan to step away from performing his ceremonial first shot at the Masters after hooking it left over onlookers Thursday at Augusta National.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Record six-time Masters winner Jack Nicklaus, 86, will be joined by 90-year-old three-time champion Gary Player and two-time winner Tom Watson, 76, to hit ceremonial tee shots at 12:25 as honorary starters.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
Former astronaut Charlie Duke, who walked on the Moon in 1972 as part of the Apollo 16 mission, gave the ceremonial wakeup call to the crew.
From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026
While the other world wonders were purely decorative or ceremonial, the lighthouse was used to guide ships into port.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
