Definition of cult in English:

cult

noun kʌltkəlt

1A system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object.
the cult of St Olaf
Example sentencesExamples
- The cult of saints and their relics explains the popularity of pilgrimage.
- As he notes, cults of holy images have been the subject of a long debate in Christianity.
- The cult image of Artemis was brought out from the inner sanctum and, gilded and white, shone brilliantly in the morning sun.
- The cult of the ancestors is practiced among many of the ethnic groups.
- At least one underground temple catacomb has been associated with the cult of a Mother Goddess.
- The support for Mary, a universal saint, may sometimes have been at the expense of local cults, making Marian devotions a central element in the progress of ultramontanism.
- The pre-Christian religion of the Fijians was both animistic and polytheistic, and included a cult of chiefly ancestors.
- Monks promoted the cult of their own saints and could write disparagingly of others.
1. 1.1 A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or as imposing excessive control over members.
  a network of Satan-worshipping cults
  Example sentencesExamples
  These people include evangelical lay preachers, religious leaders associated with New Age religions, and leaders of religious movements designated as cults.
  Maybe our whole culture is a destructive suicide cult.
  He even started a Sufi cult under his name that became also a place for mystics from different faiths too.
  His characters have run for president, hacked the New York Stock Exchange and joined the occasional religious cult.
  The promotion of the generative powers of earth, water, and human, animal, and fish populations is a common concern of major religions and small-scale cults the world over.
  Society suffers from dangerous sects and cults, militia movements, media control, and misrepresentations of psychiatric treatment and mental disorders.
  He was not a common madman who thought he was God and established a cult dedicated to the veneration of himself.
  And their world view became embodied in a pagan cult.
  Certain cults and religious specialists gain popularity beyond the local level because people feel that they can offer effective help for certain problems.
  There were moments when I thought he would try to get me to join a bizarre gullibility cult.
  He also quotes a writer in 1939, who read a scene of nude figures carved upon a bowl as representing worshippers in a mystery cult.
  A culture of peace, life and beauty became a suicide cult.
  Will witches, cults, and strange religions soon get taxpayers' dollars?
  This definition actually denotes what we call denominations and sects and would make all religious movements a cult.
  The belief system of many modern cults and spiritual groups is a hodgepodge conglomeration of ideas from religion, philosophy, psychology, the occult, and science.
  I heard that it had something to do with some kind of satanic cult.
  The loss of life was terrible, but it was no more than one in a series of occasional tragedies caused by the misguided beliefs of cults and their members.
  In all of the cults, the killing of pigs was a major part of the cult activities.
  The street urchins lived in fear of some strange murderous cult.
  The mystery cults usually enforced certain dietary rules and also required participation in various rites.
  Synonyms
  sect, religious group, denomination, religious order, church, faith, faith community, belief, persuasion, affiliation, movement
  group, body, faction, clique
2. 1.2 A misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular thing.
  the cult of the pursuit of money as an end in itself
  Example sentencesExamples
  He brooked no rivals, anointed no successors and developed a cult of personality that was indivisible from his people's hopes.
  With the cult of the personality now stronger than at any time in sport, sports companies have tried to associate themselves with successes that are viewed worldwide.
  The modern cult of the television celebrity… tends to handicap a living candidate.
  However, the cult of the business personality was, in part, designed to serve as a distraction.
  Racial and sexual politics as well as the cult of celebrity get the treatment.
  Or perhaps they center too much on the cult of personality from the opposing side.
  The industry is feeding the cult of personality to these architect winemakers.
  Does it bother you that there's a cult of personality built up around him?
  The latter resonates with equal amounts of wry self-reflexivity and acknowledgement of issues concerning representation and cults of personality.
  Accordingly some aspects of domestic rectitude predated the cult of domesticity.
  He liked the comparison, and believes firmly in the cult of the personality as a valuable element in business development.
  Still others have cautioned against the spate of monuments that they see as celebrating the cult of the personality.
  During and after the war, a highly developed personality cult evolved.
  The nineteenth century cult of domesticity located its origin in this revolutionary development.
  Media-orchestrated cults of personality and shameless historical revisionism, they already know about.
  Every President colludes with the American people to create his own cult of personality.
  The fellow with the Village People mustache, who wears a white dress shirt and tie, is being marketed as a cult of personality.
  However, as this was primarily based on a cult of personality, it was inevitably short lived.
  In stark contrast to so many other dictators, he never encouraged a cult of personality.
  It is a very short step from institutionalised demonstrations of national loyalty to a mindless cult of ‘my country right or wrong’.
  Synonyms
  obsession with, fixation on, mania for, passion for
  idolization of, admiration for, devotion to, worship of, veneration of, reverence for
2A person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society.
the series has become a bit of a cult in the UK
as modifier a cult film
Example sentencesExamples
- In an all girls school a young reasonably good looking man had cult status.
- It did remarkably well at the box office, and garnered a strong cult following among college-age Americans.
- The in-jokes which helped to make the series such a cult hit among film buffs are also in abundance.
- He has invigorated an apathetic fan base and developed a cult following among a student body that rarely showed its face in previous years.
- So the combination of being a heavy drinker, vastly overweight and a smoker - yes, he smoked as well - made him a cult figure on the circuit.
- He is a cult figure today whose books are expensive collectors' items.
- As an aside, does a film adaptation of a cult or popular novel fall into the same area as is under discussion here?
- In the US she's now a cult figure with a discography to match.
- Find out what's new on DVD, including a ' 60s cult TV classic.
- Shooting took about a month and the film became a cult classic among many people.
- The cult following these films now carry is spectacular and deserved.
- In its original weekday time slot, the show became an enormous cult hit.
- It said the BBC commentator had become a cult figure because of his ‘dry comments and lack of restraint’.
- The company's ads have gained a cult following among advertisers and laymen alike.
- Gleeful nastiness has pervaded and polluted both his plays and movies, and, sad to say, made him a cult figure.
- Mostly we picked out horror movies - Bruce seemed to specialize in finding the most bizarre cult films available.
- The most famous of the Pop artists, the cult figure Andy Warhol, recreated quasi-photographic paintings of people or everyday objects.
- A cult figure to the masses, controversies dogged him after that fantastic debut.
- You do have a rabid cult following.
- The film developed a sizable cult following, however, particularly in the comedy and hip-hop communities.
Synonyms
craze, fashion, fad, vogue
informal thing

Derivatives

cultic

adjective

The major debate is whether these were utilized only by some marginal ‘sect’ who collected the Dead Sea Scrolls, or whether they were actually used by the priesthood in the Second Temple as the cultic calendar for some period.
Example sentencesExamples
- This cultic resonance is recognized by his followers.
- But it is revealing that such pagan theological speculation was confined to philosophy, and the traditional cultic systems carried on for centuries irrespective of these philosophical discussions.
- The mythical gods gave imaginative expression to human needs, fears and desires, and cultic practices bound communities together.
- Much pre-Christian paganism, in fact, had not even advanced to the point where cultic ritual was combined with an interest in ethical or philosophical questions of goodness and right and truth.

cultish

adjective ˈkʌltɪʃˈkəltɪʃ

1Relating to or characteristic of a small group of people having religious beliefs regarded by others as strange or as imposing excessive control over members.
weird cultish beliefs
1. 1.1 Characterized by a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular thing.
Example sentencesExamples
- I was unfamiliar with these guys, and if you'd asked me to categorize their sound based on name alone, I'd have guessed they were one of those bluegrass groups beloved by cultish country aficionados and nobody else.
- The following behavior changes do not necessarily imply there is a cult problem, but if someone you know has become deeply involved with a new group or organization and exhibits many of these changes it may indicate a cultish involvement.
- Such a pompous patriarchal prerogative recalls the utopian communes that sprang up in America in the 19th century around the cultish figure of an inspired leader, many of whom gleefully devoted themselves to the practice of free love.
- the cultish adoration of certain traditional writers
- the crowd's cultish worship seemed out of sync with the performance
- a popular band with a cultish following
2Relating to a person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society.

cultishness

nounˈkʌltɪʃnəsˈkəltɪʃnəs

It will doubtless push him beyond the high-end cultishness that currently defines his popularity; an exhaustive BBC documentary about his life and work, due to be shown in the next few weeks, should only compound its impact.
Example sentencesExamples
- Here's where the academy's cultishness emerges most strongly - because it's an institution where you can only fail yourself and your leaders.
- That update of a stylish 60s cult show lacked the, well, style and cultishness of the original.

cultism

noun

Paying a fake rabbi to tie a red string around your wrist is not Jewish mysticism - it is superstitious cultism.
Example sentencesExamples
- Along in this process of cultism, I became his loyal servant and protector.
- He must snap out of the cocoon of cultism and accept that it's time to hand on to his successor.
- The ancient Egyptians cultivated opium poppies, however the use of opium was generally restricted to priests, magicians, and warriors, and was associated with religious cultism.
- In each of these cases and many others the crucial distinction is that the passion for cinema reaches a point where it must manifest itself in some way beyond mere attendance at screenings, be it cultism, criticism, or film-making.

cultist

noun

Unfortunately, the instrumentalists and machine cultists seem to be winning, further delegitimating the worthiness and utility of critical thinking.
Example sentencesExamples
- We were alarmed at the sophistication of the weapons in possession of the cultists.
- If they agree that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, they have to admit that the UFO cultists aren't irrational when they say the aliens are among us or whatever.
- In such a situation, deviant political cultists who preach a Utopia that can be attained by violence get a hearing from people who would have otherwise dismissed them.
- Although never cultists, major artists endorsed industrialisation in the 1920s, and endeavoured to make men glad cogs in the gigantic industrial machine.

Origin

Early 17th century (originally denoting homage paid to a divinity): from French culte or Latin cultus 'worship', from cult- 'inhabited, cultivated, worshipped', from the verb colere.

Rhymes

consult, exult, indult, insult, penult, result, ult

Definition of cult in US English:

cult

nounkəltkəlt

1A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.
the cult of St. Olaf
Example sentencesExamples
- The cult of the ancestors is practiced among many of the ethnic groups.
- The pre-Christian religion of the Fijians was both animistic and polytheistic, and included a cult of chiefly ancestors.
- The cult of saints and their relics explains the popularity of pilgrimage.
- At least one underground temple catacomb has been associated with the cult of a Mother Goddess.
- Monks promoted the cult of their own saints and could write disparagingly of others.
- The support for Mary, a universal saint, may sometimes have been at the expense of local cults, making Marian devotions a central element in the progress of ultramontanism.
- The cult image of Artemis was brought out from the inner sanctum and, gilded and white, shone brilliantly in the morning sun.
- As he notes, cults of holy images have been the subject of a long debate in Christianity.
1. 1.1 A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.
  a network of Satan-worshiping cults
  Example sentencesExamples
  The promotion of the generative powers of earth, water, and human, animal, and fish populations is a common concern of major religions and small-scale cults the world over.
  The mystery cults usually enforced certain dietary rules and also required participation in various rites.
  He was not a common madman who thought he was God and established a cult dedicated to the veneration of himself.
  Will witches, cults, and strange religions soon get taxpayers' dollars?
  The loss of life was terrible, but it was no more than one in a series of occasional tragedies caused by the misguided beliefs of cults and their members.
  His characters have run for president, hacked the New York Stock Exchange and joined the occasional religious cult.
  The street urchins lived in fear of some strange murderous cult.
  He even started a Sufi cult under his name that became also a place for mystics from different faiths too.
  Society suffers from dangerous sects and cults, militia movements, media control, and misrepresentations of psychiatric treatment and mental disorders.
  I heard that it had something to do with some kind of satanic cult.
  And their world view became embodied in a pagan cult.
  Certain cults and religious specialists gain popularity beyond the local level because people feel that they can offer effective help for certain problems.
  These people include evangelical lay preachers, religious leaders associated with New Age religions, and leaders of religious movements designated as cults.
  In all of the cults, the killing of pigs was a major part of the cult activities.
  He also quotes a writer in 1939, who read a scene of nude figures carved upon a bowl as representing worshippers in a mystery cult.
  The belief system of many modern cults and spiritual groups is a hodgepodge conglomeration of ideas from religion, philosophy, psychology, the occult, and science.
  There were moments when I thought he would try to get me to join a bizarre gullibility cult.
  A culture of peace, life and beauty became a suicide cult.
  This definition actually denotes what we call denominations and sects and would make all religious movements a cult.
  Maybe our whole culture is a destructive suicide cult.
  Synonyms
  sect, religious group, denomination, religious order, church, faith, faith community, belief, persuasion, affiliation, movement
2. 1.2 A misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing.
  a cult of personality surrounding the leaders
  Example sentencesExamples
  The modern cult of the television celebrity… tends to handicap a living candidate.
  With the cult of the personality now stronger than at any time in sport, sports companies have tried to associate themselves with successes that are viewed worldwide.
  The nineteenth century cult of domesticity located its origin in this revolutionary development.
  However, as this was primarily based on a cult of personality, it was inevitably short lived.
  The industry is feeding the cult of personality to these architect winemakers.
  Every President colludes with the American people to create his own cult of personality.
  The latter resonates with equal amounts of wry self-reflexivity and acknowledgement of issues concerning representation and cults of personality.
  Media-orchestrated cults of personality and shameless historical revisionism, they already know about.
  Does it bother you that there's a cult of personality built up around him?
  Racial and sexual politics as well as the cult of celebrity get the treatment.
  The fellow with the Village People mustache, who wears a white dress shirt and tie, is being marketed as a cult of personality.
  He brooked no rivals, anointed no successors and developed a cult of personality that was indivisible from his people's hopes.
  Or perhaps they center too much on the cult of personality from the opposing side.
  During and after the war, a highly developed personality cult evolved.
  Still others have cautioned against the spate of monuments that they see as celebrating the cult of the personality.
  He liked the comparison, and believes firmly in the cult of the personality as a valuable element in business development.
  However, the cult of the business personality was, in part, designed to serve as a distraction.
  In stark contrast to so many other dictators, he never encouraged a cult of personality.
  It is a very short step from institutionalised demonstrations of national loyalty to a mindless cult of ‘my country right or wrong’.
  Accordingly some aspects of domestic rectitude predated the cult of domesticity.
  Synonyms
  obsession with, fixation on, mania for, passion for
3. 1.3usually as modifier A person or thing that is popular or fashionable, especially among a particular section of society.
  a cult film
  Example sentencesExamples
  A cult figure to the masses, controversies dogged him after that fantastic debut.
  He is a cult figure today whose books are expensive collectors' items.
  In its original weekday time slot, the show became an enormous cult hit.
  As an aside, does a film adaptation of a cult or popular novel fall into the same area as is under discussion here?
  Gleeful nastiness has pervaded and polluted both his plays and movies, and, sad to say, made him a cult figure.
  The most famous of the Pop artists, the cult figure Andy Warhol, recreated quasi-photographic paintings of people or everyday objects.
  Shooting took about a month and the film became a cult classic among many people.
  You do have a rabid cult following.
  The cult following these films now carry is spectacular and deserved.
  Find out what's new on DVD, including a ' 60s cult TV classic.
  Mostly we picked out horror movies - Bruce seemed to specialize in finding the most bizarre cult films available.
  The company's ads have gained a cult following among advertisers and laymen alike.
  It did remarkably well at the box office, and garnered a strong cult following among college-age Americans.
  It said the BBC commentator had become a cult figure because of his ‘dry comments and lack of restraint’.
  The in-jokes which helped to make the series such a cult hit among film buffs are also in abundance.
  In an all girls school a young reasonably good looking man had cult status.
  In the US she's now a cult figure with a discography to match.
  The film developed a sizable cult following, however, particularly in the comedy and hip-hop communities.
  So the combination of being a heavy drinker, vastly overweight and a smoker - yes, he smoked as well - made him a cult figure on the circuit.
  He has invigorated an apathetic fan base and developed a cult following among a student body that rarely showed its face in previous years.
  Synonyms
  craze, fashion, fad, vogue

Origin

Early 17th century (originally denoting homage paid to a divinity): from French culte or Latin cultus ‘worship’, from cult- ‘inhabited, cultivated, worshipped’, from the verb colere.

单词	cult
释义	Definition of cult in English: cult noun kʌltkəlt 1A system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object. the cult of St Olaf Example sentencesExamples The cult of saints and their relics explains the popularity of pilgrimage. As he notes, cults of holy images have been the subject of a long debate in Christianity. The cult image of Artemis was brought out from the inner sanctum and, gilded and white, shone brilliantly in the morning sun. The cult of the ancestors is practiced among many of the ethnic groups. At least one underground temple catacomb has been associated with the cult of a Mother Goddess. The support for Mary, a universal saint, may sometimes have been at the expense of local cults, making Marian devotions a central element in the progress of ultramontanism. The pre-Christian religion of the Fijians was both animistic and polytheistic, and included a cult of chiefly ancestors. Monks promoted the cult of their own saints and could write disparagingly of others. 1.1 A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or as imposing excessive control over members. a network of Satan-worshipping cults Example sentencesExamples These people include evangelical lay preachers, religious leaders associated with New Age religions, and leaders of religious movements designated as cults. Maybe our whole culture is a destructive suicide cult. He even started a Sufi cult under his name that became also a place for mystics from different faiths too. His characters have run for president, hacked the New York Stock Exchange and joined the occasional religious cult. The promotion of the generative powers of earth, water, and human, animal, and fish populations is a common concern of major religions and small-scale cults the world over. Society suffers from dangerous sects and cults, militia movements, media control, and misrepresentations of psychiatric treatment and mental disorders. He was not a common madman who thought he was God and established a cult dedicated to the veneration of himself. And their world view became embodied in a pagan cult. Certain cults and religious specialists gain popularity beyond the local level because people feel that they can offer effective help for certain problems. There were moments when I thought he would try to get me to join a bizarre gullibility cult. He also quotes a writer in 1939, who read a scene of nude figures carved upon a bowl as representing worshippers in a mystery cult. A culture of peace, life and beauty became a suicide cult. Will witches, cults, and strange religions soon get taxpayers' dollars? This definition actually denotes what we call denominations and sects and would make all religious movements a cult. The belief system of many modern cults and spiritual groups is a hodgepodge conglomeration of ideas from religion, philosophy, psychology, the occult, and science. I heard that it had something to do with some kind of satanic cult. The loss of life was terrible, but it was no more than one in a series of occasional tragedies caused by the misguided beliefs of cults and their members. In all of the cults, the killing of pigs was a major part of the cult activities. The street urchins lived in fear of some strange murderous cult. The mystery cults usually enforced certain dietary rules and also required participation in various rites. Synonyms sect, religious group, denomination, religious order, church, faith, faith community, belief, persuasion, affiliation, movement group, body, faction, clique 1.2 A misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular thing. the cult of the pursuit of money as an end in itself Example sentencesExamples He brooked no rivals, anointed no successors and developed a cult of personality that was indivisible from his people's hopes. With the cult of the personality now stronger than at any time in sport, sports companies have tried to associate themselves with successes that are viewed worldwide. The modern cult of the television celebrity… tends to handicap a living candidate. However, the cult of the business personality was, in part, designed to serve as a distraction. Racial and sexual politics as well as the cult of celebrity get the treatment. Or perhaps they center too much on the cult of personality from the opposing side. The industry is feeding the cult of personality to these architect winemakers. Does it bother you that there's a cult of personality built up around him? The latter resonates with equal amounts of wry self-reflexivity and acknowledgement of issues concerning representation and cults of personality. Accordingly some aspects of domestic rectitude predated the cult of domesticity. He liked the comparison, and believes firmly in the cult of the personality as a valuable element in business development. Still others have cautioned against the spate of monuments that they see as celebrating the cult of the personality. During and after the war, a highly developed personality cult evolved. The nineteenth century cult of domesticity located its origin in this revolutionary development. Media-orchestrated cults of personality and shameless historical revisionism, they already know about. Every President colludes with the American people to create his own cult of personality. The fellow with the Village People mustache, who wears a white dress shirt and tie, is being marketed as a cult of personality. However, as this was primarily based on a cult of personality, it was inevitably short lived. In stark contrast to so many other dictators, he never encouraged a cult of personality. It is a very short step from institutionalised demonstrations of national loyalty to a mindless cult of ‘my country right or wrong’. Synonyms obsession with, fixation on, mania for, passion for idolization of, admiration for, devotion to, worship of, veneration of, reverence for 2A person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society. the series has become a bit of a cult in the UK as modifier a cult film Example sentencesExamples In an all girls school a young reasonably good looking man had cult status. It did remarkably well at the box office, and garnered a strong cult following among college-age Americans. The in-jokes which helped to make the series such a cult hit among film buffs are also in abundance. He has invigorated an apathetic fan base and developed a cult following among a student body that rarely showed its face in previous years. So the combination of being a heavy drinker, vastly overweight and a smoker - yes, he smoked as well - made him a cult figure on the circuit. He is a cult figure today whose books are expensive collectors' items. As an aside, does a film adaptation of a cult or popular novel fall into the same area as is under discussion here? In the US she's now a cult figure with a discography to match. Find out what's new on DVD, including a ' 60s cult TV classic. Shooting took about a month and the film became a cult classic among many people. The cult following these films now carry is spectacular and deserved. In its original weekday time slot, the show became an enormous cult hit. It said the BBC commentator had become a cult figure because of his ‘dry comments and lack of restraint’. The company's ads have gained a cult following among advertisers and laymen alike. Gleeful nastiness has pervaded and polluted both his plays and movies, and, sad to say, made him a cult figure. Mostly we picked out horror movies - Bruce seemed to specialize in finding the most bizarre cult films available. The most famous of the Pop artists, the cult figure Andy Warhol, recreated quasi-photographic paintings of people or everyday objects. A cult figure to the masses, controversies dogged him after that fantastic debut. You do have a rabid cult following. The film developed a sizable cult following, however, particularly in the comedy and hip-hop communities. Synonyms craze, fashion, fad, vogue informal thing Derivatives cultic adjective The major debate is whether these were utilized only by some marginal ‘sect’ who collected the Dead Sea Scrolls, or whether they were actually used by the priesthood in the Second Temple as the cultic calendar for some period. Example sentencesExamples This cultic resonance is recognized by his followers. But it is revealing that such pagan theological speculation was confined to philosophy, and the traditional cultic systems carried on for centuries irrespective of these philosophical discussions. The mythical gods gave imaginative expression to human needs, fears and desires, and cultic practices bound communities together. Much pre-Christian paganism, in fact, had not even advanced to the point where cultic ritual was combined with an interest in ethical or philosophical questions of goodness and right and truth. cultish adjective ˈkʌltɪʃˈkəltɪʃ 1Relating to or characteristic of a small group of people having religious beliefs regarded by others as strange or as imposing excessive control over members. weird cultish beliefs 1.1 Characterized by a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular thing. Example sentencesExamples I was unfamiliar with these guys, and if you'd asked me to categorize their sound based on name alone, I'd have guessed they were one of those bluegrass groups beloved by cultish country aficionados and nobody else. The following behavior changes do not necessarily imply there is a cult problem, but if someone you know has become deeply involved with a new group or organization and exhibits many of these changes it may indicate a cultish involvement. Such a pompous patriarchal prerogative recalls the utopian communes that sprang up in America in the 19th century around the cultish figure of an inspired leader, many of whom gleefully devoted themselves to the practice of free love. the cultish adoration of certain traditional writers the crowd's cultish worship seemed out of sync with the performance a popular band with a cultish following 2Relating to a person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society. cultishness nounˈkʌltɪʃnəsˈkəltɪʃnəs It will doubtless push him beyond the high-end cultishness that currently defines his popularity; an exhaustive BBC documentary about his life and work, due to be shown in the next few weeks, should only compound its impact. Example sentencesExamples Here's where the academy's cultishness emerges most strongly - because it's an institution where you can only fail yourself and your leaders. That update of a stylish 60s cult show lacked the, well, style and cultishness of the original. cultism noun Paying a fake rabbi to tie a red string around your wrist is not Jewish mysticism - it is superstitious cultism. Example sentencesExamples Along in this process of cultism, I became his loyal servant and protector. He must snap out of the cocoon of cultism and accept that it's time to hand on to his successor. The ancient Egyptians cultivated opium poppies, however the use of opium was generally restricted to priests, magicians, and warriors, and was associated with religious cultism. In each of these cases and many others the crucial distinction is that the passion for cinema reaches a point where it must manifest itself in some way beyond mere attendance at screenings, be it cultism, criticism, or film-making. cultist noun Unfortunately, the instrumentalists and machine cultists seem to be winning, further delegitimating the worthiness and utility of critical thinking. Example sentencesExamples We were alarmed at the sophistication of the weapons in possession of the cultists. If they agree that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, they have to admit that the UFO cultists aren't irrational when they say the aliens are among us or whatever. In such a situation, deviant political cultists who preach a Utopia that can be attained by violence get a hearing from people who would have otherwise dismissed them. Although never cultists, major artists endorsed industrialisation in the 1920s, and endeavoured to make men glad cogs in the gigantic industrial machine. Origin Early 17th century (originally denoting homage paid to a divinity): from French culte or Latin cultus 'worship', from cult- 'inhabited, cultivated, worshipped', from the verb colere. Rhymes consult, exult, indult, insult, penult, result, ult Definition of cult in US English: cult nounkəltkəlt 1A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object. the cult of St. Olaf Example sentencesExamples The cult of the ancestors is practiced among many of the ethnic groups. The pre-Christian religion of the Fijians was both animistic and polytheistic, and included a cult of chiefly ancestors. The cult of saints and their relics explains the popularity of pilgrimage. At least one underground temple catacomb has been associated with the cult of a Mother Goddess. Monks promoted the cult of their own saints and could write disparagingly of others. The support for Mary, a universal saint, may sometimes have been at the expense of local cults, making Marian devotions a central element in the progress of ultramontanism. The cult image of Artemis was brought out from the inner sanctum and, gilded and white, shone brilliantly in the morning sun. As he notes, cults of holy images have been the subject of a long debate in Christianity. 1.1 A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister. a network of Satan-worshiping cults Example sentencesExamples The promotion of the generative powers of earth, water, and human, animal, and fish populations is a common concern of major religions and small-scale cults the world over. The mystery cults usually enforced certain dietary rules and also required participation in various rites. He was not a common madman who thought he was God and established a cult dedicated to the veneration of himself. Will witches, cults, and strange religions soon get taxpayers' dollars? The loss of life was terrible, but it was no more than one in a series of occasional tragedies caused by the misguided beliefs of cults and their members. His characters have run for president, hacked the New York Stock Exchange and joined the occasional religious cult. The street urchins lived in fear of some strange murderous cult. He even started a Sufi cult under his name that became also a place for mystics from different faiths too. Society suffers from dangerous sects and cults, militia movements, media control, and misrepresentations of psychiatric treatment and mental disorders. I heard that it had something to do with some kind of satanic cult. And their world view became embodied in a pagan cult. Certain cults and religious specialists gain popularity beyond the local level because people feel that they can offer effective help for certain problems. These people include evangelical lay preachers, religious leaders associated with New Age religions, and leaders of religious movements designated as cults. In all of the cults, the killing of pigs was a major part of the cult activities. He also quotes a writer in 1939, who read a scene of nude figures carved upon a bowl as representing worshippers in a mystery cult. The belief system of many modern cults and spiritual groups is a hodgepodge conglomeration of ideas from religion, philosophy, psychology, the occult, and science. There were moments when I thought he would try to get me to join a bizarre gullibility cult. A culture of peace, life and beauty became a suicide cult. This definition actually denotes what we call denominations and sects and would make all religious movements a cult. Maybe our whole culture is a destructive suicide cult. Synonyms sect, religious group, denomination, religious order, church, faith, faith community, belief, persuasion, affiliation, movement 1.2 A misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing. a cult of personality surrounding the leaders Example sentencesExamples The modern cult of the television celebrity… tends to handicap a living candidate. With the cult of the personality now stronger than at any time in sport, sports companies have tried to associate themselves with successes that are viewed worldwide. The nineteenth century cult of domesticity located its origin in this revolutionary development. However, as this was primarily based on a cult of personality, it was inevitably short lived. The industry is feeding the cult of personality to these architect winemakers. Every President colludes with the American people to create his own cult of personality. The latter resonates with equal amounts of wry self-reflexivity and acknowledgement of issues concerning representation and cults of personality. Media-orchestrated cults of personality and shameless historical revisionism, they already know about. Does it bother you that there's a cult of personality built up around him? Racial and sexual politics as well as the cult of celebrity get the treatment. The fellow with the Village People mustache, who wears a white dress shirt and tie, is being marketed as a cult of personality. He brooked no rivals, anointed no successors and developed a cult of personality that was indivisible from his people's hopes. Or perhaps they center too much on the cult of personality from the opposing side. During and after the war, a highly developed personality cult evolved. Still others have cautioned against the spate of monuments that they see as celebrating the cult of the personality. He liked the comparison, and believes firmly in the cult of the personality as a valuable element in business development. However, the cult of the business personality was, in part, designed to serve as a distraction. In stark contrast to so many other dictators, he never encouraged a cult of personality. It is a very short step from institutionalised demonstrations of national loyalty to a mindless cult of ‘my country right or wrong’. Accordingly some aspects of domestic rectitude predated the cult of domesticity. Synonyms obsession with, fixation on, mania for, passion for 1.3usually as modifier A person or thing that is popular or fashionable, especially among a particular section of society. a cult film Example sentencesExamples A cult figure to the masses, controversies dogged him after that fantastic debut. He is a cult figure today whose books are expensive collectors' items. In its original weekday time slot, the show became an enormous cult hit. As an aside, does a film adaptation of a cult or popular novel fall into the same area as is under discussion here? Gleeful nastiness has pervaded and polluted both his plays and movies, and, sad to say, made him a cult figure. The most famous of the Pop artists, the cult figure Andy Warhol, recreated quasi-photographic paintings of people or everyday objects. Shooting took about a month and the film became a cult classic among many people. You do have a rabid cult following. The cult following these films now carry is spectacular and deserved. Find out what's new on DVD, including a ' 60s cult TV classic. Mostly we picked out horror movies - Bruce seemed to specialize in finding the most bizarre cult films available. The company's ads have gained a cult following among advertisers and laymen alike. It did remarkably well at the box office, and garnered a strong cult following among college-age Americans. It said the BBC commentator had become a cult figure because of his ‘dry comments and lack of restraint’. The in-jokes which helped to make the series such a cult hit among film buffs are also in abundance. In an all girls school a young reasonably good looking man had cult status. In the US she's now a cult figure with a discography to match. The film developed a sizable cult following, however, particularly in the comedy and hip-hop communities. So the combination of being a heavy drinker, vastly overweight and a smoker - yes, he smoked as well - made him a cult figure on the circuit. He has invigorated an apathetic fan base and developed a cult following among a student body that rarely showed its face in previous years. Synonyms craze, fashion, fad, vogue Origin Early 17th century (originally denoting homage paid to a divinity): from French culte or Latin cultus ‘worship’, from cult- ‘inhabited, cultivated, worshipped’, from the verb colere.
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