Definitions for cult
kʌltcult

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.5 / 6 votes

1. cultnoun

   followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices

2. fad, craze, furor, furore, cult, ragenoun

   an interest followed with exaggerated zeal

   "he always follows the latest fads"; "it was all the rage that season"

3. cultnoun

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

4. cultnoun

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

   "it was a satanic cult"

5. cult, cultus, religious cultnoun

   a system of religious beliefs and rituals

   "devoted to the cultus of the Blessed Virgin"

GCIDERate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Cultnoun

   A system of intense religious veneration of a particular person, idea, or object, especially one considered spurious or irrational by traditional religious bodies; as, the Moonie cult.

2. Cultnoun

   The group of individuals who adhere to a cult (senses 2 or 3).

3. Cultnoun

   A strong devotion or interest in a particular person, idea or thing without religious associations, or the people holding such an interest; as, the cult of James Dean; the cult of personality in totalitarian societies.

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 2 votes

1. cultnoun

   A group of people with a religious, philosophical or cultural identity sometimes viewed as a sect, often existing on the margins of society or exploitative towards its members.

2. cultnoun

   Devotion to a saint.

3. cultadjective

   Of, or relating to a cult.

4. cultadjective

   Enjoyed by a small, loyal group.

   a cult horror movie

5. Etymology: From culte, from cultus, from colo.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Cult

   In Modern English, cult is a term, considered pejorative by some, for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This sense of the term is controversial and weakly defined, – having divergent definitions both in popular culture and academia – and has also been an ongoing source of contention among scholars across several fields of study.: 348–356 An older sense of the word involves a set of religious devotional practices that is conventional within its culture, is related to a particular figure, and is frequently associated with a particular place. References to the "cult" of a particular Catholic saint, or references to the imperial cult of ancient Rome, for example, use the word in this sense. While the word is still being used in its literal and original sense, a derived sense of "excessive devotion" arose in the 19th century. Then, beginning in the 1930s, cults became an object of sociological study within the context of the study of religious behavior. Since the 1940s, the Christian countercult movement has opposed some sects and new religious movements, labeling them "cults" because of their unorthodox beliefs. Since the 1970s, the secular anti-cult movement has opposed certain groups and, as a reaction to acts of violence, frequently charged those cults with practicing mind control. Scholars and the media have disputed some of the claims and actions of anti-cult movements, leading to further public controversy. Sociological classifications of religious movements may identify a cult as a social group with socially deviant or novel beliefs and practices, although this is often unclear. Other researchers present a less-organized picture of cults, saying that they arise spontaneously around novel beliefs and practices. Groups labelled as "cults" range in size from local groups with a few followers to international organizations with millions of adherents.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. cult

   A cult is a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure, object or idea. It often involves a small, close-knit community of people who share a strong, unconventional belief system, typically characterized by intense devotion, secrecy, the potential for manipulation, and sometimes isolation from mainstream society. Cults can also refer to an excessive admiration for a particular person or thing.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:4.5 / 2 votes

1. Cult

   attentive care; homage; worship

2. Cult

   a system of religious belief and worship

3. Etymology: [F. culte, L. cultus care, culture, fr. colere to cultivate. Cf. Cultus.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Cult

   The word cult in current popular usage is a pejorative term for a new religious movement or other group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre by the larger society. Usage of the word has been controversial. One reason is that the word "cult" is considered a subjective term, used as an ad hominem attack against groups with simply differing doctrines or practices, and without a clear or consistent definition. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices. The word was first used in the early 17th century denoting homage paid to a divinity and borrowed via the French culte from Latin cultus "worship", from the adjective cultus "inhabited, cultivated, worshipped", derived from the verb colere "care, cultivate." In the 1930s cults became the object of sociological study in the context of the study of religious behavior. They have been criticized by mainstream Christians for their unorthodox beliefs. In the 1970s the anticult movement arose, partly motivated by acts of violence and other crimes committed by members of some cults. Some of the claims of the anti-cult movement have been disputed by other scholars, leading to further controversies.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Cult

   kult, n. a system of religious belief, worship.—Also Cult′us. [L. cultus—colĕre, to worship.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. cult

   Cult is an exclusive method of religious practices

   The campus cult guys kidnapped my sister. The cult gang was arrested by the police.

   
   

   Submitted by JUOparagon on May 25, 2020  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. CULT

   What does CULT stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the CULT acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Fashion
   • Religion

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'cult' in Nouns Frequency: #2936

Anagrams for cult »

1. CLUT

How to pronounce cult?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say cult in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of cult in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of cult in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of cult in a Sentence

1. President Francois Hollande:

   I solemnly promise you all that France will do everything to defeat the army of fanatics who have committed these crimes, that she will act tirelessly to protect her children, the terrorists want to divide us, to oppose us, to pit us against one another. They will fail. They have the cult of death, we have the love of life.

2. President Barack Obama:

   Hillary Clinton has no vision for America, hillary Clinton only vision for America is that Hillary Clinton wants to be the mob boss of America. Hillary Clinton wants to be the female Godfather, the greatest thing since Al Capone. And Hillary Clinton wants all the benefits that Al Capone got in Chicago ; Al Capone liked to run the city ; Al Capone liked to knock off Al Capone opponents. This is the cult of Hillary Clinton and this is what Hillary Clinton wants. Hillary Clinton wants to basically be the one who runs our life and calls all the shots and snubs out Hillary Clinton opponent. I, for one, am not going to stand for it and I ’m hoping most Americans wo n’t either.

3. Yvonne De Carlo:

   I ’d wanted a TV series, but this ? I was n’t sure. I had a hard time getting into the rhythm of it. Then director Joe Pevney suggested I play Lily Munster as a sort of mixed-up Donna Reed character and not overdo anything. When I saw the first pilot in a screening room I cringed at my makeup. But I never estimated it would become this cult thing. It took two hours of makeup to make me seem like that. It ran for two huge seasons, then CBS quarreled with the creators about reruns as we got canceled. A movie in color in 1966 [ ‘ Munster, Go Home ! ’ ] showed off everything in reds and greens on my face. Boy, was I ugly.

4. Duncan Levin:

   Clare Bronfman expected to be punished for what Clare Bronfman pleaded guilty to, but Clare Bronfman conduct merits a far lower sentence, despite press reports to the contrary, the court did find that Clare Bronfman did not fund a sex cult. Clare Bronfman intends to mount a vigorous and immediate appeal.

5. Ray Dalio:

   It is a culture, but it's the opposite of a cult.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=cult
2. ^ GCIDE
   https://gcide.gnu.org.ua/?q=cult
3. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cult
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=cult
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=cult