TRADITION

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does tradition mean? 

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

1. an inherited pattern of thought or action

2. a specific practice of long standing

  Familiarity information: TRADITION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TRADITION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An inherited pattern of thought or action

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

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

cognitive content; content; mental object (the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned)

Derivation:

traditional (consisting of or derived from tradition)

traditional (pertaining to time-honored orthodox doctrines)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A specific practice of long standing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

custom; tradition

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

practice (knowledge of how something is usually done)

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

habit; wont (an established custom)

Hadith ((Islam) a tradition based on reports of the sayings and activities of Muhammad and his companions)

institution (a custom that for a long time has been an important feature of some group or society)

Derivation:

traditional (consisting of or derived from tradition)

traditional (pertaining to time-honored orthodox doctrines)

 Context examples 

The oldest tradition stopped before it got back to him.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

All we have to go upon are traditions and superstitions.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Nor any traditions of one? no legends or ghost stories?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Something handed down from the past, such as a tradition, birthright, or inherited traits.

(Heritage, NCI Dictionary)

In some cultural traditions the family name comes first.

(Person Name, NCI Thesaurus)

Well, when I was up there I heard some yarns of the same kind—traditions of Indians and the like, but with somethin' behind them, no doubt.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

MY uncle was an impassive man by nature and had become more so by the tradition of the society in which he lived.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

These are a few ideas to get you thinking—anything that allows you to honor tradition or preserve history will be fortunate for you now.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy.

(Ethics, NCI Thesaurus)

The Institute builds on the Center's tradition of scientific excellence and promotes the development of innovative ways to diagnose, monitor, and treat cancer through advanced technology.

(David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, NCI Thesaurus)