religious cult
6
7.4
- noun
- /rɪˈlɪdʒəs kʌlt/
:
culto religioso
- Religious cults are investigated and prosecuted where abuse and slavery are part of their doctrine.
- religious cult leader
- religious cult compound
- religious cult members
There is also a third important religious cult that's mentioned, that of the twin brothers.
- There is also a third important religious cult that's mentioned, that of the twin brothers.
- That wouldn't be such a big deal if it weren't also a religious cult.
- Michelle was born into the ultra religious cult called the Field, run by her maternal grandfather.
- And then you've got, you know, various religious cults playing roles as well.
- And there's like religious cults as always, it feels like.
- But that's the that's what happens when you have a dogmatic quasi religious cult that these things don't actually make any sense.
Examples
-
Komo is now the most important religious cult of the neighboring Senufo, who adapted and transformed the mask and the society to their own traditions, customs, and needs.
Academic text (2008) -
Still others reject these explanations and argue that the sisterhood betrays all the marks of a religious cult: the initiation, the vow, the secret meetings, the fanatical loyalty, and the refusal to break silence.
Fiction book (1994) -
Too many times we carry on what was taught to us as children and do not study religious cults.
Blog text (9) -
Terry moved to Oregon to join a religious cult she saw on 60 Minutes.
-
The persons responsible for these attacks belonged to a religious cult, Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth).
Academic text (1996) -
The media reported extensively on the controversial practices of the religious cult that gathered in the mountains.
-
After years of searching for fulfillment, she realized she had been manipulated by a religious cult that took advantage of vulnerable individuals.
-
The documentary highlighted how many members of the religious cult abandoned their former lives to follow a leader's extreme teachings.
Synonyms
84
6.1
A small group that splits from a larger religious group because of different beliefs
5
4.7
A small group inside a religion with different beliefs or practices
1
9.9
A way of religious worship that uses rituals and ceremonies
A small religious group with unusual beliefs and practices outside larger churches
Antonyms
How Mainstream
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'religious' (pertaining to religion) qualifies 'cult' (a group organized around a doctrine), so the meaning is simply a cult with a religious focus. This is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common modifier + noun pattern that a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily understand.
Etymology
Religious cult comes from an old word that meant care or tending. The part cult made people picture a small group looking after special rituals and 'worship', so today it usually means a small religious group with its own beliefs.