ritualistic

adjective

rit·​u·​al·​is·​tic ˌri-chə-wə-ˈli-stik 

-chə-ˈli-;

ˌrich-wə-

1

: of, in accordance with, or characterized by the use of ritual: such as

a

: relating to or done as a ceremony or rite

a ritualistic dance

For Rick, the clincher came in 2001, when he discovered 20 identical trumpets, made from a type of conch shell … . The trumpets were highly decorated, indicating a ritualistic use.

—Michael Brooks

Ritualistic language (such as the oyez, oyez, oyez or hear ye, hear ye, hear ye that opens a court session) separates legal proceedings from ordinary life, marking them as being special and important.

—Peter Tiersma

b

: done in accordance with social custom or normal protocol

… made the ritualistic visits to polling places, making a last-minute bid for support in this intense and important contest.

—Jeanne Meserve

c

: of, relating to, or being an act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner

The repetitive nature of online tasks—checking e-mail, searching for data, sending replies—has a soothing, ritualistic quality.

—Maia Szalavitz

2

: stressing the use of ritual forms : adhering to or devoted to ritualism

… the structure held ritualistic significance that spanned several historical eras before the arrival of the Spanish.

—Christopher Parker

We can look at Stonehenge not only to envision the ancient, ritualistic people who built it, but also to imagine a version of ourselves closer to nature … according to Wisser.

—Jed Oelbaum

ritualistically

ˌri-chə-wə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

-chə-ˈli-;

ˌrich-wə-

adverb

Examples of ritualistic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Chang often worked with a near-ritualistic discipline, his systematic processes opening onto moments of wonder. —Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026

After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 1 May 2026

Sasha is then forced to play a ritualistic cat-and-mouse game that Robbins considers to be his homage to Deliverance (1972) and The River Wild (1994). —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026

Archaeologists believe this jewelry was buried as part of a ritualistic event. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ritualistic

• agonistic
• altruistic
• animistic
• aphoristic
• atheistic
• cabalistic
• calvinistic
• chauvinistic
• dualistic
• egoistic
• egotistic
• eucharistic