I. cult 1 /kʌlt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: French ; Origin: culte , from Latin cultus 'care, worship' , from colere ; ⇨ ↑ cultivate ]
1 . [countable] an extreme religious group that is not part of an established religion
2 . [countable] a fashionable belief, idea, or attitude that influences people’s lives
cult of
Diet, exercise ... It’s all part of this cult of self-improvement.
3 . [singular] a group of people who are very interested in a particular thing:
O'Brien has a cult of devoted readers.
4 . [uncountable and countable] formal a system of religious beliefs and practices
⇨ ↑ personality cult
II. cult 2 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
cult film/band/figure etc a film, music group etc that has become very popular but only among a particular group of people:
the 1980s cult movie ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy’
The actor James Dean acquired the status of a cult hero.