A person who is very concerned with following formal rituals and ceremonies, or someone who practices or studies ceremonial rites.
From ceremony + -alist (one who practices or believes in). Ceremony comes from Latin caerimonia (sacred rite), possibly from Etruscan origins. The -alist suffix emerged in Middle English to name practitioners of specific activities.
A ceremonialist isn't just going through the motions—they believe rituals actually have power and meaning, which is why many religious traditions have ceremonialists who spend their entire lives perfecting every detail.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.