The definition of the term ‘cult’ as provided by the Merriam-Webster dictionary covers a variety meanings: 1: formal religious veneration: worship. 2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also: its body of adherents.3: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also: its body of adherents.cults. 5 a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially: such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad.hen people use the term cult without qualifying what they mean by that word, their statements tend to cause confusion. The term should be placed in context: “ XYZ is a cult in the theological sense, because…”. “ 123 is a cult in the sociological sense, because…”.