cult

noun

ˈkəlt 

often attributive

1

: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious (see spurious sense 2)

also : its body of adherents

the voodoo cult

a satanic cult

2

a

: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book)

criticizing how the media promotes the cult of celebrity

especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad

b

: the object of such devotion

c

: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

the singer's cult of fans

The film has a cult following.

3

: a system of religious beliefs and ritual

also : its body of adherents

the cult of Apollo

4

: formal religious veneration : worship

5

: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator

health cults

cultic

ˈkəl-tik 

adjective

cultish

ˈkəl-tish 

adjective

cultishly

ˈkəl-tish-lē 

adverb

cultishness

ˈkəl-tish-nəs 

noun

cultism

ˈkəl-ˌti-zəm 

noun

cultlike

ˈkəlt-ˌlīk 

adjective

Did you know?

The Overlap of Cults and Culture

Cult, which shares an origin with culture and cultivate, comes from the Latin cultus, a noun with meanings ranging from "tilling, cultivation" to "training or education" to "adoration." In English, cult has evolved a number of meanings following a fairly logical path. The earliest known uses of the word, recorded in the 17th century, broadly denoted "worship." From here cult came to refer to a specific branch of a religion or the rites and practices of that branch, as in "the cult of Dionysus." By the early 18th century, cult could refer to a non-religious admiration or devotion, such as to a person, idea, or fad ("the cult of success"). Finally, by the 19th century, the word came to be used of "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious."

Synonyms

• audience
• followership
• following

Examples of cult in a Sentence

She has developed a cult following.

long after it had gone off the air, the TV series continued to have a huge cult

Recent Examples on the Web

The original film premiered to rave reviews in the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006 and went on to gain cult status after its releases in Australia and New Zealand, the UK (Icon), and the US (IFC and Dimension). —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024

The track comes from The Nightmare Before Christmas, the stop-motion claymation movie that’s become not just a cult classic, but a commercial success story every year. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

From transformative beauty essentials to game-changing home gear and the latest tech, these picks have been put to the test and earned their cult status among savvy shoppers. —Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024

Scott’s 46-year-old daughter, director Jordan Scott, wrote and directed their recent adaptation of Nicholas Hogg’s psychological cult thriller A Sacrifice. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French & Latin; French culte, from Latin cultus care, adoration, from colere to cultivate — more at wheel

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing cult

• anti-cult
• cargo cult
• cult of celebrity
• cult of personality
• personality cult
• sub-cult

Kids Definition

cult

noun

ˈkəlt 

1

: a system of religious worship

2

a

: enthusiastic but often temporary devotion to a person, idea, or thing

b

: the object of such devotion

c

: a group of persons who belong to or show devotion to a cult

cultist

ˈkəl-təst 

noun

Medical Definition

cult

abbreviation

culture