doctrinal
adjective
, especially British däk-ˈtrī-
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Definition of doctrinal
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Other Words from doctrinal
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adverb
Examples of doctrinal in a Sentence
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Cardinal O’Malley wrote to the prosecutor’s superior, the head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, to protest the speech. — Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, "‘It Will Cause a Scandal.’ The Pope and a Trusted U.S. Cardinal Clash Over Sex-Abuse Crisis," 14 Feb. 2019 In short, American failures in vigilance may force a doctrinal step up the escalation ladder, and a step back into a more perilous nuclear age. — Mark Helprin, WSJ, "Defining Defense Down," 11 Oct. 2018 If all believers are priests, charged with working out their own salvation, then doctrinal divisions will necessarily proliferate. — Sarah Jones, The New Republic, "What’s Next for Evangelicalism?," 7 June 2018 At one Colorado colony, a dozen children died from malnutrition in 1906, and other start-ups since then have been plagued with doctrinal disputes. — Sam Kestenbaum, New York Times, "A Forgotten Religion Gets a Second Chance in Brooklyn," 7 June 2018 Yet, even with the socialists’ doctrinal commitment, the party’s actual record of fighting for women’s equality and inclusion was lacking. — Olivia Campbell, Smithsonian, "The Historical Struggle to Rid Socialism of Sexism," 12 July 2018 The pope’s decision came in a letter dated May 25 from Archbishop Luis Ladaria, head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, to Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the German bishops’ conference. — Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, "Vatican Blocks German Plan to Expand Communion," 4 June 2018 The Second Amendment still faces foundational uncertainties with regard to a wide range of doctrinal and theoretical questions — far more so than the First Amendment, which has generated a century’s worth of case law and scholarship. — Joseph Blocher And Eric Ruben, Vox, "The Second Amendment allows for more gun control than you think," 14 June 2018 Patterson’s conduct has incited a major doctrinal debate. — Sarah Jones, The New Republic, "The Religious Right’s #MeToo Reckoning Is Coming," 30 May 2018These 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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