Meaning & use
ablution
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Meanings
nounusually pluralformalreligion
The act of washing the body, especially as a religious or ceremonial duty.
Grammar: Most often appears as ablutions: perform one's ablutions; singular use is formal and less common.
Patterns
- perform one's ablutions
- ritual ablutions
- morning ablutions
Worshippers perform ritual ablutions before entering the prayer hall.
The temple provides a place for ceremonial ablutions.
Her morning ablutions were quick because the water was cold.
nounusually pluralBritishinformalhumorous
A joking British word for washing up or getting clean.
Grammar: Used playfully as ablutions, especially about ordinary washing rather than religion.
Patterns
- do one's ablutions
- one's morning ablutions
After the muddy match, the players headed indoors for their ablutions.
I’ll do my ablutions and then make coffee.
The children’s ablutions took longer than the picnic did.
Word forms
| plural | ablutions |
|---|
Common combinations
- perform ritual ablutions
- Pilgrims perform ritual ablutions before approaching the shrine.
- morning ablutions
- His morning ablutions included a cold shower and careful shaving.
- religious ablutions
- The guide explained the rules for religious ablutions at the mosque.
Synonyms and how they differ
- washing
- Neutral everyday term; ablution sounds formal, ceremonial, or joking.
- bathing
- Means washing the body, often in a bath; it lacks the ritual sense of ablution.
- cleansing
- Broader or more technical, and can refer to objects or skin rather than religious washing.
Word family
- ablute verb
- Rare humorous verb meaning to wash oneself.
Commonly confused: ablution or absolution?
ablution vs absolution
Absolution is formal forgiveness of sins, especially in religion; ablution is washing.
Practice
Before prayer, the worshippers performed their ritual ___.
Choose one answer.
Ablutions means ceremonial washing before prayer; absolutions is a near-sounding religious word but means forgiveness, while adaptations and abolitions do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ablution”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.