ceremonious
/ˌsɛ.ɹəˈmoʊ.ni.əs/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.78 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
According to the required or usual ceremonies, formalities, or rituals; specifically (Christianity, obsolete), to ceremonial laws in the Bible.
adj
Involving much ceremony; ostentatious, showy.
adj
Of a person: fond of ceremony or ritual, or of observing strict etiquette or formality; punctilious.
adj
Synonym of ceremonial (“of, relating to, consisting of, or used in a ceremony or rite”); formal, ritual.
Example Sentences
- "[L]et vs take a ceremonious leaue, / And louing farevvell of our ſeuerall friends."
- "VVhen vve deſcribe our ſenſations of another's ſorrovvs, either in friendly or ceremonious condolence, the cuſtoms of the vvorld ſcarcely admit of rigid veracity."
- "Bingley, she had likewise seen for an instant, and in that short period saw him looking both pleased and embarrassed. He was received by Mrs. Bennet with a degree of civility, which made her two daughters ashamed, especially when contrasted with the cold and ceremonious politeness of her curtsey and address to his friend."
- "O, the Sacrifice, / Hovv ceremonious, ſolemne, and vn-earthly / It vvas i'th' Offring?"
- "This is the day, when, in a foreign grave, / King Owen [Owain Gwynedd]'s relics shall be laid to rest. / […] / No mitred abbots, and no tonsured train, / Lengthened the pomp of ceremonious woe."
- "He descended to the cabin to bid a ceremonious, and, it may be, tacitly rebukeful adieu."
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Middle French cérémonieux (modern French cérémonieux) or directly from its etymon Latin caerimōniōsus + English -ous (suffix forming adjectives from nouns, denoting the presence of a quality in any degree (typically an abundance)). Caerimōniōsus is derived from Latin caerimōnia (“awe, reverence, veneration; sacredness, sanctity; religious ceremony, ritual”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷer- (“to build, make; to do”)) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, overly’ forming adjectives from nouns). By surface analysis, ceremony + -ous.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *kʷer-, caerimōnia
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌsɛ.ɹəˈmoʊ.ni.əs/
- British English: /sɛ.ɹɪˈməʊ.nɪ.əs/
Inflected Forms
more ceremonious (comparative)
most ceremonious (superlative)
Derived Forms
Synonyms
Antonyms
inceremonious
unceremonious