cult

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a system of religious beliefs and rituals

   devoted to the cultus of the Blessed Virgin

2. 2
   noun

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

   it was a satanic cult

3. 3
   noun

   The veneration, devotion, and religious rites given to a deity (especially in a historical polytheistic context), or (in a Christian context) to a saint; a subset of worship.

   imperial cult

4. 4
   noun

   A group of people having an obsession with or intense admiration for a particular activity, idea, person or thing.

   the heavy metal cult

5. 5
   noun

   A group, sect or movement following an unorthodox religious or philosophical system of beliefs, especially one in which members remove and exclude themselves from greater society, including family members not part of the cult, and show extreme devotion to a charismatic leader.

   Two former cult members explain the difficulties they had extricating themselves from it.

6. 6
   adj

   Enjoyed by a small, loyal group.

   a cult horror movie

7. 7
   noun

   an interest followed with exaggerated zeal

8. 8
   noun

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

Etymology

Derived from French culte, from Latin cultus (“care, adoration; cult”), from colō (“cultivate; protect”).