tradition

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A custom or belief that a family or community has kept and passed on over many years.

   Grammar: Countable for one custom: a family tradition.

   Patterns

   • a tradition of something
   • a tradition that something

   Eating soup on New Year's Day is a family tradition.

   The town has a long tradition of music.

   It is a tradition for the winner to cut the ribbon.

2. 2noununcountable

   The whole body of customs and ideas handed down within a culture or religion.

   Grammar: Uncountable when referring to custom in general: break with tradition.

   Patterns

   • in the tradition of something
   • break with tradition

   The architect broke with tradition.

   Rooted in tradition, the festival changes little.

   They chose to follow tradition and marry in spring.

3. 3nouncountable

   A style or method inherited from earlier artists or thinkers within a field.

   Grammar: Often used for art, music or thought: the Romantic tradition.

   Patterns

   • in the tradition of someone

   The novel belongs to the tradition of detective fiction.

   She works in the tradition of folk singers.

   The school follows the tradition of classical education.

Word forms

Common combinations

family tradition

Baking together is our family tradition.

break with tradition

He broke with tradition and wore blue.

keep a tradition alive

They keep the tradition alive.

long-standing tradition

It's a long-standing tradition in the village.

according to tradition

According to tradition, the bride wears white.

in the tradition of

The band plays in the tradition of the blues.

Synonyms and how they differ

custom

Custom is a way of acting that a group usually follows, and can be modern, while tradition stresses age and inheritance.

convention

Convention is an accepted way of doing things that may be recent, whereas tradition implies long history.

heritage

Heritage means everything inherited, including buildings and history, which is broader than one tradition.

ritual

Ritual is a set sequence of actions, often solemn, whereas tradition can be any inherited practice.

Opposites

Word family

traditional adjective

following long-established customs

traditionally adverb

in the way things have long been done

traditionalist noun

someone who prefers old customs

traditionalism noun

the belief in keeping old customs

untraditional adjective

not following custom

Commonly confused: tradition or tradition?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tradition”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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