Ritualistic words or behaviour always follow the same pattern, especially because they form part of a ritual — a set of steps people repeat on purpose. That can be religious: the same lines, the same movements, in the same order. It can also be ordinary: a team’s lucky habit, a meeting that always opens with the same phrase, a family that always says the same words at the door. The word can simply describe the pattern. Though actually, it can also sound a little cold, as if the person is only going through the motions and the feeling has dropped out. Ritualistic does not always mean “holy.”