Derived from French culte, from Latin cultus (“care, adoration; cult”), from colō (“cultivate; protect”).
Meanings
(not-comparable) Of or relating to a cult.
(not-comparable) Enjoyed by a small, loyal group.
Monte Hellman, whose terse action films, epitomized by the 1971 road movie “Two-Lane Blacktop,” made him a cult hero of the American independent film movement, died on Tuesday in Palm Desert, Calif. 2021 April 21, William Grimes, “Monte Hellman, Cult Director of ‘Two-Lane Blacktop,’ Dies at 91”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
a cult horror movie
To a certain extent, the cult movie and the classic are opposites, appealing to vastly different audiences. Whereas a film can become an instant cult, and then forgotten, a film cannot become an “instant classic”, which is only critical shorthand for “excellent”. 2008 August 8, Ronald Bergan, “Don't confuse cults with classics”, in The Guardian:
(alt-of, alternative, neologism, not-comparable) Alternative form of kvlt.
pt cultual (of or relating to a cult) · es de culto (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · pl kultowy (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · fr culte (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · fi lahkolais- (of or relating to a cult) · tr kült (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · de Kult- (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · pt cult (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · ru культовый (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · cs kultovní (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · da kult- (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · bg култов (of or relating to a cult) · sv kultförklarad (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · bg култов (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · de kultig (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · da kult- (of or relating to a cult) · fi kultti- (enjoyed by a small, loyal group) · fi kultti- (of or relating to a cult)
Derived from French culte, from Latin cultus (“care, adoration; cult”), from colō (“cultivate; protect”).
Meanings
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.
the cult of Mary
"When frying sausages," remarked Cripps, who seemed to regard that occupation as a cult, "it is advisable to perforate the outer skin with a fork." 1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 44:
By the end of the tenth century, Edith's humility had inspired a cult of holy wells in Kent, Staffordshire, and Herefordshire. 1999, Robert Lacey, Danny Danziger, The Year 1000: What life was like at the turn of The First Millennium, London: Abacus, published 2000, page 170:
imperial cult
(informal) A group of people having an obsession with or intense admiration for a particular activity, idea, person or thing.
the guitarist's cult of loyal fans
the cult of basketball
the cult of celebrity
the heavy metal cult
(derogatory) 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.
Marc Andreessen, a venture capitalist who has become one of Silicon Valley's most outspoken opponents of regulation, has described people who warn of existential risks from AI as a cult, no different from other millenarian movements that warn of impending social disasters. 2023 November 25, Richard Waters, John Thornhill, quoting Marc Andreessen, “Tech’s philosophical rift over AI”, in FT Weekend (Big Read section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 6:
Another potent element of the new cult milieu was the therapy sect, which offered believers the chance to achieve their full human potential through personal growth and self-actualization by taking total responsibility for one's actions. The prototypical movement of this kind was est (Erhard Seminar Training), in which intense and often grueling sessions forced followers to confront a new view of reality. 2000, Philip Jenkins, Mystics and Messiahs : Cults and New Religions in American History, London: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 180:
Outsiders often criticize the extreme commitment of group members. But what is really happening is that leader and followers are conspiring to realize a vision that is falsified daily. For the cult is not paradise, and the leader is not God. Hence the follower is embattled; to squarely confront the many failings of the leader and the group is to call into question one's own great work. Only by daily recommitting himself can the follower continue to work toward his ultimate goal. Each follower works out a secret compromise, acknowledging some things while denying or distorting others. Clearly this is a high-risk strategy that may go awry. 1997, Len Oakes, “Followers and Their Quest”, in Prophetic charisma: The Psychology of Prophetic Charisma, Syracuse University Press, →ISBN, page 137:
Two former cult members explain the difficulties they had extricating themselves from it.
The difference between a cult and an established religion is sometimes about one generation. 1998 June 17, Scott McLemee, “Rethinking Jonestown”, in Salon.com:
There are scores of modern religious cults and sects that have been influenced by Hinduism to varying degrees. Werner Erhard, founder of 'Landmark Education's 'The Forum',' and 'est' seminars, which have about 700,000 graduates, was influenced by Hinduism through Swami Muktananda, one of Erhard's principal gurus. 1996, John Ankerberg, John Weldon, Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs, Harvest House Publishers, →ISBN, page 216:
He sounds like a cult leader about to demand his followers drink poison. And it frankly doesn’t help that he looks like Jim Jones to a genuinely creepy degree. 2016 November 6, “Multilevel Marketing”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 29, John Oliver (actor), via HBO:
If Jones' People's Temple wasn't a cult, then the term has no meaning. 1998 June 17, Scott McLemee, “Rethinking Jonestown”, in Salon.com:
Werner Erhard's highly successful est cult is partly derived from Scientology. Erhard had some experience with Scientology in 1969. Then he worked for a while in Mind Dynamics, itself an offshoot of Jose Silva's Mind Control. 1985, Rodney Stark, Religious movements: Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers, Paragon House Publishers, →ISBN, page 167:
lv kults (sect) · ko 컬트 (sect) · km និកាយ (sect) · de Kultus (subset of worship) · ms taifah (sect) · ms kultus (sect) · kum культ (subset of worship) · th นิกาย (sect) · ms sekte (sect) · lo ນິກາຍ (sect) · ru культ (subset of worship) · ar فِرْقَة (sect) · eo kulto (sect) · tr tapınç (sect) · fi kultti (sect) · sl kult (sect) · ru культ (sect) · alt культ (subset of worship) · sk kult (subset of worship) · fi lahko (sect) · la cultus (sect) · be се́кта (sect) · fa فرقه (sect) · hi पंथ (sect) · es veneración (subset of worship) · es secta (sect) · ms sinanjung (sect) · tr tarikat (sect) · sh kȕlt (sect) · el αίρεση (sect) · it culto (subset of worship) · uk се́кта (sect) · fr secte (sect) · bg се́кта (sect) · bg култ (sect) · sv kult (subset of worship) · vi sự sùng bái (subset of worship) · be культ (sect) · uk культ (subset of worship) · da kult (subset of worship) · lt kultas (sect) · ca culte (subset of worship) · fr culte (subset of worship) · da sekt (sect) · sh ку̏лт (sect) · ms sekta (sect) · el θρησκεία (subset of worship) · pt seita (sect) · tl kulto (sect) · nl sekte (sect) · nl cultus (subset of worship) · uk культ (sect) · eo sekto (sect) · ro cult (sect) · he פּוּלְחָן (subset of worship) · ru се́кта (sect) · vi giáo phái (sect) · ca secta (sect) · pl kult (subset of worship) · ga cultas (sect) · nn kult (sect) · mk култ (sect) · pl sekta (sect) · mk секта (sect) · fi kultti (subset of worship) · fi uskonlahko (sect) · sv kult (sect) · hu szekta (sect) · he כַּת (sect) · nb sekt (sect) · et kultus (sect) · ko 숭배 (subset of worship) · pt culto (subset of worship) · pt veneração (subset of worship) · kum баш этив (subset of worship) · cmn 崇拜 (subset of worship) · el λατρεία (sect) · cs kult (subset of worship) · ja 崇拝 (subset of worship) · pt culto (sect) · sk kult (sect) · sv sekt (sect) · tr tarikat (subset of worship) · de Kult (subset of worship) · cmn 異教 /异教 (sect) · my နိကာယ (sect) · hy աղանդ (sect) · ar طائِفَة (sect) · nb kult (sect) · tr kült (sect) · el δόγμα (subset of worship) · eo kulto (subset of worship) · ja カルト (sect) · da kult (sect) · pl kult (sect) · is sértrúarsöfnuður (sect) · be культ (subset of worship) · de Sekte (sect) · it culto (sect) · bg култ (subset of worship) · ka კულტი (sect) · id sekte (sect) · ar مِلّة (sect) · sl kult (subset of worship) · mk култ (subset of worship) · fr culte (sect) · ca culte (sect) · nn sekt (sect) · cs sekta (sect) · ro sectă (sect) · cs kult (sect) · cmn 邪教 (sect)