cult

Plural: cults

Noun

• A system of religious veneration or a devoted group.
• followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices
• an interest followed with exaggerated zeal
• followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader
• a religion or sect that is generally considered to be unorthodox, extremist, or false
  • "it was a satanic cult"
• a system of religious beliefs and rituals
  • "devoted to the cultus of the Blessed Virgin"
• The veneration, devotion, and religious rites given to a deity (especially in a historical polytheistic context), or (in a Christian context) to a saint; a subset of worship.
• A group of people having an obsession with or intense admiration for a particular activity, idea, person or thing.
• A group, sect or movement following an unorthodox religious or philosophical system of beliefs, especially one in which members remove and exclude themselves from greater society, including family members not part of the cult, and show extreme devotion to a charismatic leader.

Adj

• Of or relating to a cult.
• Enjoyed by a small, loyal group.
• Alternative form of kvlt.

Examples

• a cult horror movie
• imperial cult
• Some Words With Friends players form a CULT around specific rare words, memorizing them all.
• the cult of basketball
• the cult of celebrity
• the cult of Mary
• the guitarist's cult of loyal fans
• the heavy metal cult
• Two former cult members explain the difficulties they had extricating themselves from it.

Synonyms

craze, cultus, fad, furor, furore, rage, religious cult

Related Words

new religious movement, sect, CULTISH