What is the difference between 'ceremonial' and 'ceremonious'?
Even having looked in the OED I am still slightly unclear as to which contexts require the adjective ceremonious and which ceremonial.
The OED treatment of ceremonious is as below with some of the more recent examples. You will notice that in sense 1 it is equated to ceremonial. However sense 5 suggests a slightly different meaning.
- Pertaining to, or consisting of, ceremonies or outward forms and rites; = ceremonial adj., formal.
1737 D. Waterland Rev. Doctr. Eucharist 443 Ceremonious Observances.
- Full of ceremony; accompanied with rites, religious or showy.
1883 Manch. Examiner 14 Dec. 5/2 A statue has been raised to him..and there was a ceremonious unveiling.
- According to prescribed or customary formalities or punctilios.
1863 M. Howitt tr. F. Bremer Greece & Greeks II. xi, His..somewhat ceremonious politeness.
†4. According to the Ceremonial Law. Obs.
1656 S. Winter Serm. 120 The holiness of children, which some say was ceremonious.
- Of persons: Addicted to ritual observances (obs.); given to ceremony; punctilious in observance of formalities, esp. those of intercourse between ranks or persons.
1829 K. H. Digby Broad Stone of Honour: Godefridus xviii. 223 The ceremonious and ungrateful courtiers of Vienna.
The two terms ceremonial and cerimonious have the same root "cerinomy" but meaning and usage are different even though they are often incorrectly used as synonyms:
“Ceremonial” and “ceremonious” are often considered synonyms, and can indeed be used interchangeably in many contexts. But there are some cases in which one is better than the other.
If you are talking about the performance of a ceremony, the word you will usually want is “ceremonial” as in “ceremonial offering,” “ceremonial garb,” or “ceremonial dance.” Sikhs traditionally wear ceremonial daggers.
“Ceremonious” is mostly used to describe formal behavior which often has little or no connection with a literal ceremony: “ceremonious manners,” “ceremonious welcome,” or “ceremonious speech.”
(Common Errors in English Usage)
Ngram: ceremonial vs ceremonious
Cerimonial:
- c. 1400, "belonging to (religious) ritual," also as a noun, "a ceremonial practice," from Late Latin caerimonialis "pertaining to ceremony, " from caerimonia (see ceremony).
Ceremonious :
- 1550s, from Middle French cérémonieux or directly from Late Latin caerimoniosus, from Latin caerimonia (see cerimony). Meaning "full of show and ceremony" is from 1610s.
Etymonline