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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."
Examples of cult in a Sentence
Caroline Tell, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
The brand has a cult following for its jeans, and the amount of variety offered in its denim categories is impressive.
—Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024
Normal Gossip first premiered in 2022 and quickly became a cult hit for its colorful episodes anonymyzing real-world drama into a hysterical podcast episode, complete with culture guests.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024
Princess Polly The Australian brand has a cult following for its trendy clothing often worn by social media influencers.
—Reia Li, The Arizona Republic, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cult 
Dictionary Entries Near cult
Cite this Entry
“Cult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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