cult

[ kuhlt ]

noun

1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers:

   the physical fitness cult.

3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

adjective

1. of or relating to a cult.
2. of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees:

   a cult movie.

cult

/ kʌlt /

noun

1. a specific system of religious worship, esp with reference to its rites and deity
2. a sect devoted to such a system
3. a quasi-religious organization using devious psychological techniques to gain and control adherents
4. sociol a group having an exclusive ideology and ritual practices centred on sacred symbols, esp one characterized by lack of organizational structure
5. intense interest in and devotion to a person, idea, or activity

   the cult of yoga

6. the person, idea, etc, arousing such devotion
7. 1. something regarded as fashionable or significant by a particular group
   2. ( as modifier )

      a cult show

8. modifier of, relating to, or characteristic of a cult or cults

   a cult figure

cult

1. In anthropology , an organization for the conduct of ritual, magical, or other religious observances. Many so-called primitive tribes, for example, have ancestor cults, in which dead ancestors are considered divine and activities are organized to respect their memory and invoke their aid. A cult is also a religious group held together by a dominant, often charismatic individual, or by the worship of a divinity, an idol, or some other object. ( See animism (see also animism ), fetish , and totemism .)

Notes

The term cult often suggests extreme beliefs and bizarre behavior.

Derived Forms

• ˈcultist, noun
• ˈcultism, noun

Other Words From

• cultic cul·tu·al [kuhl, -choo-, uh, l], adjective
• cultish adjective
• anti·cult noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cult¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin cultus “habitation, tilling, refinement, worship,” equivalent to cul-, variant stem of colere “to inhabit, till, worship” + -tus, suffix of verb action

Word History and Origins

Origin of cult¹

C17: from Latin cultus cultivation, refinement, from colere to till

Example Sentences

Manson seems to cop to several killings in the early 1960s in Mexico in newly shared audio recordings of the convicted cult leader speaking from prison.

From Salon

She also grew up in and remains a member of a cult called the Science of Identity Foundation whose leader is heralded by members as a deity in his own right.

From Salon

A new recording has emerged of notorious cult leader Charles Manson appearing to admit to additional killings.

From BBC

The leader of the Manson family cult didn’t commit the murders himself — he persuaded his followers to carry them out.

From Los Angeles Times

The cult dynamics, racism, antisemitism, violence and other collective sociopathic and pathological behavior are very similar if not almost identical between the two events.

From Salon

Related Words

• band
• church
• clan
• clique
• denomination
• faith
• religion
• sect