religion
[noun]
Synonyms: creed, cult, faith, persuasion, church, communion, connection, denomination, sect

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Related Words: belief, doctrine

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English Thesaurus: religion, faith, belief, denomination, sect, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

re‧li‧gion S2 W2 /rɪˈlɪdʒən/ noun
[Word Family: noun: religion, religiosity; adverb: religiously; adjective: religious ≠ irreligious]
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Latin; Origin: religio, probably from religare; ⇒ rely]

1. [uncountable] a belief in one or more gods:
The U.S. Constitution promises freedom of religion.
a course on philosophy and religion

2. [countable] a particular system of this belief and all the ceremonies and duties that are related to it:
people of different religions
the Islamic religion
The tribe practised a religion that mixed native beliefs and Christianity.

3. find/get religion to suddenly become interested in religion in a way that seems strange to other people:
Miller found religion in prison.

4. something is (like) a religion used when saying that something is very important to someone and they are extremely interested in it and spend a lot of time doing it, watching it etc:
Football was a religion in my family.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

religion
noun
ADJ. great, major | world Islam is one of the great world religions.
dominant | established, old | new | orthodox | true | false | alternative Football has become an alternative religion for many people.
organized I believe in God, but I don't belong to any organized religion.
primitive | pagan | monotheistic, polytheistic | eastern eastern religions such as Shintoism
Hindu, Jewish, etc. | Catholic, evangelical, Orthodox, Protestant | official, state
VERB + RELIGION belong to, have She has no religion.
follow, practise Do you still practise your religion?
change | abandon, reject | defend She believed that her religion needed to be defended by philosophy and logic.
found He founded a new religion.
spread
RELIGION + VERB be based on sth a religion based on reason
originate from sth He believes that all religions originated from a single source.
develop | spread
PREP. by ~ These people are predominantly Russian Orthodox by religion.
in a/the ~ In their religion, mountains are sacred.
PHRASES an adherent/follower of a religion, a form/kind of religion

NOTE religions

accept, adopt, convert to, embrace, follow, turn to ~    He converted to Judaism when he got married.    people who follow Hinduism abandon, reject ~    He rejected Christianity and became a Buddhist. ~ spread    Islam spread rapidly through North Africa. ~ preaches, proclaims, teaches sth    Christianity preaches that sinners can be forgiven. a follower of ~    followers of Sikhism the rise/spread of ~    the rise of Christianity in the first century the teachings/tenets of ~    the basic tenets of Buddhism

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

religion [uncountable and countable] a set of beliefs about a god, and the ceremonies and customs that go with these beliefs. Also used when talking about all religions in general:
Judaism is one of the great religions of the world.
African tribal religions
a lecture on the role of religion in society
faith [uncountable and countable] a religion, especially one of the large important world religions. Also used when talking about religious belief in general:
The school welcomes children of all faiths.
His religious faith was always deeply important to him.
belief [uncountable and countable] the act of believing in a god or gods, or the ideas that someone believes because of their religion:
We all have the right to freedom of belief.
They were persecuted because of their religious beliefs.
denomination [countable] a religious group that has slightly different beliefs from other groups who belong to the same religion:
The church is the largest Christian denomination in the United States.
sect [countable] a group of people who have their own set of religious beliefs and customs, especially a group that has separated from a larger group:
He became a member of a Buddhist sect.
There are two sects in Islam - the Sunni and the Shi'a.
an obscure religious sect
the church [singular, uncountable] the Christian religion in general:
How great is the influence of the church in present-day society?
The church has a lot to say about this.
the Catholic/Protestant etc church (also Church) [countable] one of the separate groups within the Christian religion:
the Methodist Church
cult [countable] an extreme religious group that is not part of an established religion – often used to show disapproval:
The suicides have been linked to a strange religious cult.
the traditional pagan cults of Ancient Rome
creed [uncountable and countable] formal the religion that you belong to, and the set of beliefs that you accept in order to belong to it – often used in phrases when saying that your religion should not affect how you are treated:
There must be no discrimination because of race, colour, or creed.
You will be rewarded whatever your race or creed.
faith community [countable] formal a group of people who share the same religious beliefs – used especially in official contexts:
the benefits of living within a supportive faith community

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲