religion

religion — noun

1. a system of faith, rituals, and values shared by a group of people, involving be

1.名詞A2
釋義

a system of faith, rituals, and values shared by a group of people, involving belief in a god, multiple gods, or a spiritual force that shapes how they understand the world and live their lives.

例句

Yuki visits the temple every Sunday as part of her religion.

visits [place] as part of [religion]

Many people turn to religion for comfort during difficult times in their lives.

turn to religion for comfort

同義詞
  • faith

    more personal and emotional; often refers to the inner belief rather than the outer system

  • spirituality

    broader term that may not involve a god or organised institutions

  • creed

    more formal, usually referring to a written statement of beliefs

  • belief system

    neutral, academic term covering any set of shared convictions

反義詞
  • atheism

    the absence of belief in any god or gods

  • secularism

    the principle of separating religion from government and public life

文法句型

the religion of [group]

religion [verb]

[adjective] religion

用法筆記

Often used as an uncountable noun when referring to the general concept of religious belief (She felt drawn to religion), and as a countable noun when referring to specific faith systems (Buddhism and Christianity are two major religions).

常見錯誤

My religion is very important for me.
My religion is very important to me.
💡The adjective 'important' takes the preposition 'to', not 'for', when expressing personal value.
She believes religion.
She believes in religion.
💡The verb 'believe' requires the preposition 'in' when referring to a system of faith.

2. an activity or interest that someone treats with the same devotion and seriousne

2.名詞B2
釋義

an activity or interest that someone treats with the same devotion and seriousness that other people give to their faith — for example, a sport, hobby, or cause that becomes a central part of daily life.

例句

Football is practically a religion for Felipe — he never misses a match.

practically a religion for [person]

For Shirin, yoga became a religion; she practices every morning without fail.

[activity] became a religion

同義詞
  • obsession

    stronger and more negative, suggesting the activity has become unhealthy

  • passion

    more positive but less total; a passion can be intense without organising one's whole life around it

  • devotion

    similar level of commitment but more formal and less tied to a single activity

反義詞
  • indifference

    lack of any particular interest or feeling toward an activity

文法句型

[subject] is a religion for [person]

用法筆記

This figurative sense always uses the countable form (a religion, her religion) and follows the pattern '[activity] is/was a religion for [person]'. Register is informal and best suited to conversation, blogs, and personal writing rather than formal academic or business texts.

常見錯誤

Cooking is religion to her' (missing article).
Cooking is a religion to her.
💡In the figurative sense, religion is a countable noun and must take an article or determiner.
Now she came to see gardening as religion for her.
Now she has come to see gardening as a religion for her.
💡The figurative sense requires 'a' and the present perfect is more natural with 'come to see'.