doctrinal

doc·trin·al | \ ˈdäk-trə-nᵊl

How to pronounce doctrinal (audio)

, especially British däk-ˈtrī-

How to pronounce doctrinal (audio)

\

Definition of doctrinal

: of, relating to, or preoccupied with doctrine

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Examples of doctrinal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Francis fired Cardinal Müller in 2017 as the top doctrinal watchdog in the Roman Catholic Church, removing a powerful ideological opponent. — Jason Horowitz, New York Times, "As Pope Francis Champions Migrants, Some Cardinals Court the Far Right," 22 June 2019 Nor does Francis, despite his compassion for African migrants to the rich world, find the African church easy to navigate, given the doctrinal conservatism of its leaders. — The Economist, "Why Pope Francis struggles in Africa," 7 Sep. 2019 His distinctive approach to the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection was perhaps the best example of his disdain for doctrinal formalism. — Linda Greenhouse, New York Times, "Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, Who Led Liberal Wing, Dies at 99," 16 July 2019 But there are no doctrinal or theological differences between Ukraine’s various Orthodox churches. — Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, "Tangle of church and state roils Ukraine’s Orthodox parishes," 17 Apr. 2019 And the Bible alone was the sole source of doctrinal truth (sola scriptura). — Jamie Quatro, The New Yorker, "The Hidden Life of a Forgotten Sixteenth-Century Female Poet," 5 Aug. 2019 For its part, the Ilse house demonstrates that the Bauhaus could inspire mash-ups as well as doctrinal purity. — The Economist, "Kinks in the clean lines of the Bauhaus," 1 Aug. 2019 While the compromise was touted as a success by both the Polish and the U.S. administrations, the U.S.–Poland deal falls short of Duda’s dream of a Fort Trump, due to both practical and doctrinal obstacles. — Declan Leary, National Review, "Trump’s Polish Defense Deal," 18 June 2019 In his own time, Washington’s reluctance to show his doctrinal cards dismayed his Christian co-religionists. — Sam Wineburg, Smithsonian, "What George Washington’s Views on Religion and America Don’t Translate Well to Today’s Politics," 12 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'doctrinal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

20 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Doctrinal.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doctrinal. Accessed 8 December 2019.

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