What does neopagan mean?
Neopagan refers to modern religious or spiritual movements that revive, reinterpret, or combine older pagan traditions, often including ceremonial practices, nature spirituality, and influences from Indigenous cultures. A neopagan is a participant in such a movement; neopagan can also describe its beliefs, rituals, communities, or cultural products. The term is more specific than modern pagan and generally distinguishes contemporary or revivalist practices from historical forms of paganism. It is frequently used in cultural studies, religious studies, journalism, and discussions of nature spirituality, ecology, and identity. Because neopagan movements can be diverse and sometimes combine traditions in very different ways, the word should not imply that all neopagan practices share one coherent theology. It is also distinct from using pagan as a general insult, a meaning that is outside the term’s established religious and cultural senses.
A person who participates in a modern revival or reinterpretation of pagan religious or spiritual traditions.
"The scholar interviewed several neopagans about their approach to seasonal rituals."
The noun is used especially in cultural, religious, and anthropological discussions.
Relating to modern revivals or reinterpretations of pagan traditions.
"The workshop introduced visitors to neopagan ceremony and symbolism."
Often used with words such as movement, spirituality, traditions, ritual, and community.
The usual plural of the noun form; neopagans refers to people who participate in modern pagan movements.
"Neopagans from several traditions attended the discussion."
Neopagan is a label for old traditions reimagined for modern life, often blending historical spirituality with contemporary environmental and identity-focused concerns.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of neopagan
Neopagan combines the combining form neo-, meaning new or recent, with pagan. Pagan ultimately derives from the Latin paganus, originally meaning a rural person or country dweller and later used for people who followed pre-Christian or non-Christian religious traditions. The compound neopagan developed in modern usage to describe contemporary revivals and reinterpretations of such traditions. Its related forms, including neopaganism, share the same modern formation, while words such as pagan and paganism continue to refer more broadly to the older tradition and its adherents.
Related word forms
How neopagan is actually used
Neopagan is primarily used in academic, cultural, religious-studies, and journalistic contexts. It may describe movements that differ considerably from one another, so it is more specific than the broader term modern pagan but should not be treated as a synonym for all forms of paganism.
Easily confused with neopagan
Pagan generally refers to a person or belief associated with traditional pre-Christian religions, whereas neopagan specifically denotes modern revivals or reinterpretations of pagan traditions.