Library / English Dictionary

RELIGION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny

Example:

he lost his faith but not his morality

Synonyms:

faith; religion; religious belief

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("religion" is a kind of...):

belief (any cognitive content held as true)

supernatural virtue; theological virtue (according to Christian ethics: one of the three virtues (faith, hope, and charity) created by God to round out the natural virtues)

Domain member category:

worship (show devotion to (a deity))

reincarnate; transmigrate (be born anew in another body after death)

free-thinking; latitudinarian; undogmatic; undogmatical (unwilling to accept authority or dogma (especially in religion))

clean (ritually clean or pure)

impure; unclean (having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to dietary or ceremonial laws)

conforming; conformist (adhering to established customs or doctrines (especially in religion))

discalceate; discalced; unshod ((used of certain religious orders) barefoot or wearing only sandals)

formalised; formalistic; formalized (concerned with or characterized by rigorous adherence to recognized forms (especially in religion or art))

Christian (relating to or characteristic of Christianity)

Protestant (of or relating to Protestants or Protestantism)

Calvinist; Calvinistic; Calvinistical (of or relating to or characteristic of Calvinism or its adherents)

Jewish-Orthodox; Orthodox (of or pertaining to or characteristic of Judaism)

Eastern Orthodox; Greek Orthodox; Orthodox; Russian Orthodox (of or relating to or characteristic of the Eastern Orthodox Church)

Anglican (of or pertaining to or characteristic of the Anglican church)

Congregational; Congregationalist (of or pertaining to or characteristic of a Congregational church)

Episcopal; Episcopalian (of or pertaining to or characteristic of the Episcopal church)

revivalistic (of or relating to or characterizing revivalism)

Lutheran (of or pertaining to or characteristic of the branch of the Protestant Church adhering to the views of Luther)

Methodist; Wesleyan (of or pertaining to or characteristic of the branch of Protestantism adhering to the views of Wesley)

Mormon (of or pertaining to or characteristic of the Mormon Church)

Unitarian (of or relating to or characterizing Unitarianism)

catechismal (of or relating to a catechism summarizing the principles of Christianity)

persecution (the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion))

vigil; watch (the rite of staying awake for devotional purposes (especially on the eve of a religious festival))

consecration ((religion) sanctification of something by setting it apart (usually with religious rites) as dedicated to God)

celibacy; chastity; sexual abstention (abstaining from sexual relations (as because of religious vows))

toleration (official recognition of the right of individuals to hold dissenting opinions (especially in religion))

traditionalism (adherence to tradition (especially in cultural or religious matters))

censer; thurible (a container for burning incense (especially one that is swung on a chain in a religious ritual))

cloister (a courtyard with covered walks (as in religious institutions))

habit (a distinctive attire worn by a member of a religious order)

orthodoxy (the quality of being orthodox (especially in religion))

Hades; Hell; infernal region; netherworld; Scheol; underworld ((religion) the world of the dead)

misbelieve (hold a false or unorthodox belief)

believe (follow a credo; have a faith; be a believer)

die (suffer spiritual death; be damned (in the religious sense))

noviciate; novitiate (the period during which you are a novice (especially in a religious order))

numen (a spirit believed to inhabit an object or preside over a place (especially in ancient Roman religion))

latitudinarian (a person who is broad-minded and tolerant (especially in standards of religious belief and conduct))

conformist (someone who conforms to established standards of conduct (especially in religious matters))

brother (a male person who is a fellow member (of a fraternity or religion or other group))

Beelzebub; Devil; Lucifer; Old Nick; Prince of Darkness; Satan; the Tempter ((Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell)

demythologisation; demythologization (the restatement of a message (as a religious one) in rational terms)

affirmation ((religion) a solemn declaration that serves the same purpose as an oath (if an oath is objectionable to the person on religious or ethical grounds))

meditation ((religion) contemplation of spiritual matters (usually on religious or philosophical subjects))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "religion"):

Wicca (the polytheistic nature religion of modern witchcraft whose central deity is a mother goddess; claims origins in pre-Christian pagan religions of western Europe)

shamanism (any animistic religion similar to Asian shamanism (especially as practiced by certain Native American tribes))

Asian shamanism; shamanism (an animistic religion of northern Asia having the belief that the mediation between the visible and the spirit worlds is effected by shamans)

Bahaism (a religion founded in Iran in 1863; emphasizes the spiritual unity of all humankind; incorporates Christian and Islamic tenets; many adherents live in the United States)

Mazdaism; Zoroastrianism (system of religion founded in Persia in the 6th century BC by Zoroaster; set forth in the Zend-Avesta; based on concept of struggle between light (good) and dark (evil))

Mithraicism; Mithraism (ancient Persian religion; popular among Romans during first three centuries a.d.)

Manichaeanism; Manichaeism (a religion founded by Manes in the third century; a synthesis of Zoroastrian dualism between light and dark and Babylonian folklore and Buddhist ethics and superficial elements of Christianity; spread widely in the Roman Empire but had largely died out by 1000)

Shinto; Shintoism (the ancient indigenous religion of Japan lacking formal dogma; characterized by a veneration of nature spirits and of ancestors)

Hsuan Chiao; Taoism (popular Chinese philosophical system based in teachings of Lao-tzu but characterized by a pantheism of many gods and the practices of alchemy and divination and magic)

Buddhism (the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth)

Sikhism (the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam)

Jainism (religion founded in the 6th century BC as a revolt against Hinduism; emphasizes asceticism and immortality and transmigration of the soul; denies existence of a perfect or supreme being)

Brahmanism; Brahminism (the religious beliefs of ancient India as prescribed in the sacred Vedas and Brahmanas and Upanishads)

apophatism (the religious belief that God cannot be known but is completely 'other' and must be described in negative terms (in terms of what God is not))

cataphatism (the religious belief that God has given enough clues to be known to humans positively and affirmatively (e.g., God created Adam 'in his own image'))

analogy; doctrine of analogy (the religious belief that between creature and creator no similarity can be found so great but that the dissimilarity is always greater; any analogy between God and humans will always be inadequate)

cult; cultus; religious cult (a system of religious beliefs and rituals)

cult (a religion or sect that is generally considered to be unorthodox, extremist, or false)

ecclesiasticism (religion appropriate to a church and to ecclesiastical principles and practices)

mysticism; religious mysticism (a religion based on mystical communion with an ultimate reality)

nature worship (a system of religion that deifies and worships natural forces and phenomena)

revealed religion (a religion founded primarily on the revelations of God to humankind)

theism (the doctrine or belief in the existence of a God or gods)

heathenism; pagan religion; paganism (any of various religions other than Christianity or Judaism or Islamism)

Christian religion; Christianity (a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior)

Unitarianism (a non-doctrinal religion that stresses individual freedom of belief and rejects the Trinity)

Hindooism; Hinduism (a body of religious and philosophical beliefs and cultural practices native to India and based on a caste system; it is characterized by a belief in reincarnation, by a belief in a supreme being of many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by a desire for liberation from earthly evils)

Derivation:

religionist (a person addicted to religion or a religious zealot)

religious (having or showing belief in and reverence for a deity)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An institution to express belief in a divine power

Example:

a member of his own faith contradicted him

Synonyms:

faith; organized religion; religion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("religion" is a kind of...):

establishment; institution (an organization founded and united for a specific purpose)

Domain member category:

canonise; canonize; saint (declare (a dead person) to be a saint)

exorcise; exorcize (expel through adjuration or prayers)

confirm (administer the rite of confirmation to)

covenant (enter into a covenant)

deliver; redeem; save (save from sins)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "religion"):

cult (followers of an exclusive system of beliefs and practices)

cult (followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader)

religious order; religious sect; sect (a subdivision of a larger religious group)

established church (the church that is recognized as the official church of a nation)

Shinto (the native religion and former ethnic cult of Japan)

Church of Scientology; Scientology (a new religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1955 and characterized by a belief in the power of a person's spirit to clear itself of past painful experiences through self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment)

Khalsa (the group of initiated Sikhs to which devout orthodox Sikhs are ritually admitted at puberty; founded by the tenth and last Guru in 1699)

Buddhism (a religion represented by the many groups (especially in Asia) that profess various forms of the Buddhist doctrine and that venerate Buddha)

Taoism (religion adhering to the teaching of Lao-tzu)

Hindooism; Hinduism (the religion of most people in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal)

Hebraism; Jewish religion; Judaism (Jews collectively who practice a religion based on the Torah and the Talmud)

Christian church; church (one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship)

Derivation:

religionist (a person addicted to religion or a religious zealot)

religious (concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church)

Credits

 Context examples: 

“There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion,” said he, leaning with his back against the shutters.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Nor was it a sense of pity, nor obedience to the "Thou shalt not" of religion.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

A residence in Turkey was abhorrent to her; her religion and her feelings were alike averse to it.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

In religion, describes a group whose members are organized under a common name and set of rules and have common beliefs and practices.

(Denomination, NCI Dictionary)

The natural ruler of this house is Jupiter, which is why it is also called the house of philosophical discussion and why it covers the dogma of religion.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The monotheistic religion of the Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud.

(Judaism, NCI Thesaurus)

Faith based on a series of beliefs but not formalized into a religion; also, a fixed coherent set of beliefs prevalent in a community or society.

(Belief System, NCI Thesaurus)

It is my analysis of the documents found in the Coptic monasteries of Syria and Egypt, a work which will cut deep at the very foundation of revealed religion.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A doctoral degree in religion.

(Doctor of Divinity, NCI Thesaurus)

In this case, I was driven to reflect deeply and inveterately on that hard law of life, which lies at the root of religion and is one of the most plentiful springs of distress.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)