ancestor worship
noun
: the custom of venerating deceased ancestors who are considered still a part of the family and whose spirits are believed to have the power to intervene in the affairs of the living
Examples of ancestor worship in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
See the artisans at Kwok Kee Wood Ware Sculpture who often sit outside the shop, carving and painting figures traditionally used by fishing families for ancestor worship.
—
Tiffany May, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024
Family members also make offerings and engage in other rituals related to ancestor worship.
—Mario Poceski, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2024
Mayans, Incans and other Native Americans had great reverence for the dead and ancestor worship was culturally important.
—al, 2 Nov. 2022
Some remains were subsequently disinterred and their skulls reburied with other bodies, possibly as a form of ancestor worship.
—Jennifer Hattam, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2016
The three-day holiday is moored in sacred rituals centered on ancestor worship, such as the jesa ceremony, which is believed to strengthen the bond between the living and the deceased.
—Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2022
Their ancestors, who were once patronizingly spoken of as animists, took up residence in hollows in the cliffs to preserve their way of life, replete with traditions of ancestor worship and a complex cosmology.
—Howard W. French, The New York Review of Books, 14 May 2020
These range from visiting temples, attending pilgrimages and festivals, praying and offering incense, ancestor worship, and veneration of various celestial divinities.
—Mario Poceski, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2021
The holiday has deep links to South Korea’s agricultural past and its custom of ancestor worship.
—Jun Michael Park, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tiffany May, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024
Family members also make offerings and engage in other rituals related to ancestor worship.
—Mario Poceski, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2024
Mayans, Incans and other Native Americans had great reverence for the dead and ancestor worship was culturally important.
—al, 2 Nov. 2022
Some remains were subsequently disinterred and their skulls reburied with other bodies, possibly as a form of ancestor worship.
—Jennifer Hattam, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2016
The three-day holiday is moored in sacred rituals centered on ancestor worship, such as the jesa ceremony, which is believed to strengthen the bond between the living and the deceased.
—Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2022
Their ancestors, who were once patronizingly spoken of as animists, took up residence in hollows in the cliffs to preserve their way of life, replete with traditions of ancestor worship and a complex cosmology.
—Howard W. French, The New York Review of Books, 14 May 2020
These range from visiting temples, attending pilgrimages and festivals, praying and offering incense, ancestor worship, and veneration of various celestial divinities.
—Mario Poceski, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2021
The holiday has deep links to South Korea’s agricultural past and its custom of ancestor worship.
—Jun Michael Park, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2020
Dictionary Entries Near ancestor worship
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ancestor%20worship. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share