ceremony

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. ritual, formality, punctilio, protocol; form, observance, rite, sacrament, function. See ostentation.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [A public event]

Syn. function, commemoration, services; see celebration 1 , 2 .

2. [A formal act]

Syn. ritual, rite, observance, service, solemnity, formality, ceremonial, custom, tradition, liturgy, ordinance, sacrament, liturgical practice, protocol, etiquette, politeness, decorum, propriety, preciseness, strictness, nicety, formalism, ceremoniousness, convention, conventionality, usage, prescription, incantation, mummery.

• stand on ceremony,

Syn. follow protocol, follow etiquette, be formal, observe formalities, insist on formality, insist on etiquette, be ceremonious; see also behave 2 .

Syn.- ceremony refers to a formal, usually solemn, act established as proper to some religious or state occasion [ the ceremony of launching a ship ] ; rite refers to the prescribed form for a religious ceremony or procedure [ burial rites] ; ritual refers to rites or ceremonies collectively, esp. to the rites of a particular religion [ the ritual of voodooism ] , and in extended use is applied to a regularly repeated act or series of acts performed in a set, ceremonial manner [ bedtime rituals] ; formality suggests a conventional, often meaningless, act or custom, usually one associated with social activity [ the formalities of polite conversation ]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. ritual observation, rite, service, function, formality, solemnity, custom, observance. ''The wine of human experience.''—Morris Cohen.

2. etiquette protocol, punctilio, formality, decorum, propriety, prescription.

ANT.: 2. informality

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. A formal act or set of acts prescribed by ritual: ceremonial, liturgy, observance, office, rite, ritual, service. See RITUAL. 2. A conventional social gesture or act without intrinsic purpose: form, formality, ritual. See RITUAL, USUAL. 3. Strict observance of social conventions: ceremoniousness, formality, protocol, punctiliousness. See COURTESY.