ceremonial
Syllables: cer·e·mo·ni·alUK/ˌsɛɹɪˈməʊnɪ.əl//ˌsɛɹɪˈmoʊniəl/
ceremonial adjective: of, relating to, consisting of, or used in a ceremony.
Adjective
ceremonial (comparative more ceremonial, superlative most ceremonial)
- Of, relating to, consisting of, or used in a ceremony.
- What mockery will it be / To want the bridegroom when the priest attends / To speak the ceremonial rites of marriage!c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- His merit introduced him to ſplendid tables and elegant acquaintance, but he did not find himſelf alvvays qualified to join in the converſation. He vvas diſtreſſed by civilities, vvhich he knevv not hovv to repay, and entangled in many ceremonial perplexities, from vvhich his books and diagrams...1751 December 13 (Gregorian calendar), Samuel Johnson, “No. 179. Monday, December 3. 1751.”, in The Rambler, volume VII, Edinburgh: […] Sands, Murray, and Cochran; sold by W. Gordon, C. Wright, J....
- Synonyms:
- ceremonious, formal, ritual, ritualistic
- Used only for the purpose of ceremony; symbolic.
- Synonyms:
- nominal
- Synonym of ceremonious (“of a person: fond of ceremony or ritual, or of observing strict etiquette or formality; punctilious”).
- Oh monstrous, superstitious puritan, / Of refin’d manners, yet ceremoniall man, […]c. 1593–1597, J[ohn] Donne, “Satyre I”, in Poems, […] with Elegies on the Authors Death, London: […] M[iles] F[lesher] for Iohn Marriot, […], published 1633, →OCLC, page 326
- [W]ith dumb Pride, and a set formal Face, / He moves, in the dull Ceremonial track, […]1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Tenth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […]...
- Synonyms:
- ceremonious
Noun
ceremonial (countable and uncountable, plural ceremonials)
- A ceremony, or series of ceremonies, prescribed by ritual.
- Curt’sies, and the usual Ceremonials between Women who are Strangers to each other being past, Sophia said, ‘I have not the Pleasure to know you, Madam.’1749, Henry Fielding, chapter 6, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book XVII, page 257
- Public ceremonies, such as ordinations, the installation of magistrates, and all that could give majesty to the forms in which a new government manifested itself to the people, were, as a matter of policy, marked by a stately and well-conducted ceremonial, and a sombre, but yet a studied...1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “chapter 5”, in The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC
ceremonial meaning in Tamil, Bengali and Malayalam
ceremonial in Tamil
- வினைமுறை, சடங்காச்சாரம்
ceremonial in Bengali
- আনুষ্ঠানিক
ceremonial in Malayalam
- ആചാരസംബന്ധമായ, ആഡംബരപരമായ
Examples of ceremonial in a sentence
- He vvas diſtreſſed by civilities, vvhich he knevv not hovv to repay, and entangled in many ceremonial perplexities, from vvhich his books and diagrams could not extricate him.1751 December 13 (Gregorian calendar), Samuel Johnson, “No. 179. Monday, December 3. 1751.”, in The Rambler, volume VII, Edinburgh: […]...
- [T]his change in ceremonial observances and outward show was trifling when compared to that in the objects of worship […]1827, Henry Hallam, chapter II, in The Constitutional History of England from the Accession of Henry VII. to the Death of George II. […]...
- Philomena Guinea's black Cadillac eased through the tight, five o'clock traffic like a ceremonial car.1963, Sylvia Plath, chapter 15, in The Bell Jar, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, published 1972, page 151:
- By Adamcos,” said Catweazle, drawing his ceremonial knife.1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 28:
Synonyms of ceremonial
Forms of ceremonial
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more ceremonial |
| superlative | most ceremonial |
| alternative form | cæremonial |
| Noun | |
| plural | ceremonials |
Origin of ceremonial
From Middle English cerymonial, from Latin caerimōniālis. Morphologically ceremony + -al or -ial.
Words formed from ceremonial
Phrases with ceremonial
Words that rhyme with ceremonial
Questions about ceremonial
- What does ceremonial mean?
- Ceremonial means of, relating to, consisting of, or used in a ceremony.
- What is ceremonial in Tamil?
- Ceremonial in Tamil is வினைமுறை, சடங்காச்சாரம். See Ceremonial meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use ceremonial in a sentence?
- He vvas diſtreſſed by civilities, vvhich he knevv not hovv to repay, and entangled in many ceremonial perplexities, from vvhich his books and diagrams could not extricate him.
- What part of speech is ceremonial?
- Ceremonial can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce ceremonial?
- Ceremonial is pronounced /ˌsɛɹɪˈməʊnɪ.əl/ (UK).
Words near ceremonial in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: ceremonial (page history and authors); ceremonial (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ceremonial (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ceremonial (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-ceremonial.ogg.
Cite this entry: “ceremonial.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/ceremonial. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.