{
    "term": "ritual",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a series of actions that are always performed in the same way, especially as part of a religious ceremony",
            "labels": "(North American English)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "religious rituals"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She objects to the ritual of organized religion."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Boys undergo a circumcision ritual to usher them into adulthood."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It takes several days to complete the ritual."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Their funerals follow the rituals of the Catholic church."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They practise/​practice certain rituals in connection with rites of passage."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Women's roles in the rituals of many religions have been limited."
                },
                {
                    "text": "rituals performed by Druids at Stonehenge on Midsummer's Day"
                },
                {
                    "text": "secret rituals in the sacred forest"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Don't let celebration of this festival become an empty ritual."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In an elaborate and impressive ritual, Aaron and his sons are instituted to the priesthood."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Many folk dances have their origins in ancient pagan rituals."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Religion and festivals"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["ancient", "primitive", "traditional"],
                "verb + ritual": ["conduct", "do", "enact"],
                "ritual + verb": ["take place"],
                "preposition": ["in a/​the ritual"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "something that is done regularly and always in the same way",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Sunday lunch with the in-laws has become something of a ritual."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A cognac before bed is one of our little nightly rituals."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Bargaining at the markets is now just an empty ritual."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Eating around the table was a family ritual that could not be broken."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He makes an elaborate ritual of washing the car."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her visits to her aged father have become a ritual."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Jake began the evening ritual of asking about everyone's day."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She had to go through the ritual of kissing the toys before her son would go to sleep."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He took to the sauna ritual with great enthusiasm."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It was all part of the ritual of returning home."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She had been following this daily ritual for several months."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The bargaining isn't even a formality, it is just an empty ritual."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There had always been this little ritual—chocolates after lunch on Sundays."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["ancient", "primitive", "traditional"],
                "verb + ritual": ["conduct", "do", "enact"],
                "ritual + verb": ["take place"],
                "preposition": ["in a/​the ritual"]
            }
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈrɪtʃuəl/",
                "audio": "ri/ritual/ritual__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈrɪtʃuəl/",
                "audio": "ri/ritual/ritual__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late 16th cent. (as an adjective): from Latin ritualis, from ritus ‘(religious) usage’."
}