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religion

Definition of Religion

(noun) A personal or institutional system of beliefs, practices, and values relating to the cosmos and supernatural.

Examples of Religion

Religion Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: re·li·gion

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /ri-lIj-uhn/
  • British English – /ri-lIj-uhn/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /riˈlɪdʒ(ə)n/
  • British English – /rᵻˈlɪdʒ(ə)n/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: religions
  • Religion is an agent of socialization.
  • An individual fervently practicing a religion is a (noun) religionist, is (adjective) religious, and (adverb) religiously advocates for (noun) religiousness.

Related Quotations

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Additional Information

Related Terms


References

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Schwartz, Mary Ann, and Barbara Marliene Scott. 2012. Marriages and Families: Diversity and Change. 6th ed. Boston: Prentice Hall.

Weber, Max. [1904–5] 1930. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Translated by T. Parsons. London: Allen and Unwin.

Note: Page number is from a reprinted edition, Routledge Classics (2001).

Weber, Max. 1946. “The Social Psychology of the World Religions.” Pp. 267-301 in From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, edited and translated by H. H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills. New York: Oxford University Press.

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Cite the Definition of Religion

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “religion.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/religion/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

religion. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/religion/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “religion.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/religion/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“religion.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/religion/>.