RELIGION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does religion mean? 

• RELIGION (noun)
  The noun RELIGION has 2 senses:

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

2. an institution to express belief in a divine power

  Familiarity information: RELIGION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RELIGION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

faith; religion; religious belief

Context example:

he lost his faith but not his morality

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:

Protestant (of or relating to Protestants or Protestantism)

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

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)

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

worship (show devotion to (a deity))

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)

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

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

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)

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))

misbelieve (hold a false or unorthodox belief)

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)

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

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'))

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)

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

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))

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)

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)

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)

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

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

faith; organized religion; religion

Context example:

a member of his own faith contradicted him

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)

 Context examples 

He stood between me and every thought of religion, as an eclipse intervenes between man and the broad sun.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

But it shall be regulated, it shall be checked by religion, by reason, by constant employment.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

But the compensations of such religion are denied Wolf Larsen.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Like most lonely ladies, Lady Frances found her comfort and occupation in religion.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Her real name was Estelle, but Aunt March ordered her to change it, and she obeyed, on condition that she was never asked to change her religion.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

“How can a man have too much religion?” cried Alleyne earnestly.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

They had been instructed theoretically in their religion, but never required to bring it into daily practice.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Whether party, in religion or politics, were observed to be of any weight in the scale of justice?

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

They are fearless and without religion, save superstition, and they talk only their own varieties of the Romany tongue.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

The gloomy taint that was in the Murdstone blood, darkened the Murdstone religion, which was austere and wrathful.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)