Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
📜 A rites expert 🙏 A rule follower
ritualist

ritualist

8.2
A person who studies religious ceremonies and traditions
  • noun
  • /ˈrɪtʃuəlɪst/
translation icon : ritualista
  • The ritualist carefully performed the ancient ceremonies that have been passed down for generations.

Examples

  • Man, the ritualist is also concerned with power, but it is a power whose locus lies beyond the realm of ordinary human interaction.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Some spiritualists (pretending to be pastors) decided to help her by taking her to Bombay, India, where a ritualist drenched her with powers.

    Blog text (25)

  • As a skilled ritualist, she led the community's traditional festivals with precision and grace.

  • Many people consult a ritualist to ensure that their significant life events are celebrated properly.

Synonyms

folklorist
vsritualist
4 6.9

A person who studies and collects traditional stories, customs, and beliefs

is an expert in rites and ceremonies rather than focusing on stories
ethnographer
vsritualist
  • Specialized
2 8.6

A person who studies people's lives and customs by living with and watching them

focuses on expert practice of rites rather than studying them as an outsider
cultural anthropologist
vsritualist
2 7.5

A person who studies people's beliefs, customs, and daily life in different societies

specializes in rites and ceremonies rather than studying cultures broadly
liturgist
vsritualist
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A person who plans and leads religious services and rituals

is an expert in rites broadly rather than only leading services
hierophant
vsritualist
9.9

A person who explains religious ceremonies and beliefs to others

is an expert in performing rites rather than mainly explaining meanings

How Specialized

specialist
352 3.9
ritualist
8.2
practitioner
120 4.0
observer
305 2.8
student
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

ritualist singular
ritualists plural

Morphology

ritualist = ritual (transparent) = ritual + ist

The noun denotes a person associated with or practicing rituals, a direct and regular meaning derived from 'ritual' + '-ist'.

Etymology

Ritualist comes from the word rite ('ceremony') and the ending -ist ('person who does'). So a ritualist is an expert who studies or works with religious ceremonies.