doctrinal
adjective
doc·trin·al
ˈdäk-trə-nᵊl 
especially British
däk-ˈtrī-
: of, relating to, or preoccupied with doctrine
Examples of doctrinal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
My child’s teacher is teaching doctrinal errors related to my religion, despite the school’s claim of being nonsectarian.
—
Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
Many Russians now accept the following propositions as doctrinal truths: Putin is capably fighting a necessary war, Putin is the only one who can lead Russia, and Putin owns Russia’s political future.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2024
Zaid had doctrinal differences with the Houthis, whose ideology strays far from Zaydi orthodoxy.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024
To become better at strategic adaptation, Ukraine must also remove the institutional and timing obstacles that stand between tactical learning and doctrinal innovation and training.
—Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2024
In 2017, Francis perplexed Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, then the church’s doctrinal watchdog, by ordering him to fire three conservative priests in his office.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
There are important doctrinal differences between mainstream Shiism and Zaidi Islam: mainstream Shiites recognize 12 imams, for instance, while Zaidis recognize only five.
—Alexandra Stark, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2024
But the Vatican did not rush to clear away any of the confusions that the statement itself created, while progressives seeking thorough doctrinal change claimed victory.
—Nr Editors, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023
Throughout his papacy, Francis has withheld the church's position on doctrinal matters but introduced a softer approach to those who didn't follow the church's teaching, especially regarding LGBTQ people.
—Melissa Gaffney, ABC News, 18 Dec. 2023
Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
Many Russians now accept the following propositions as doctrinal truths: Putin is capably fighting a necessary war, Putin is the only one who can lead Russia, and Putin owns Russia’s political future.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2024
Zaid had doctrinal differences with the Houthis, whose ideology strays far from Zaydi orthodoxy.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024
To become better at strategic adaptation, Ukraine must also remove the institutional and timing obstacles that stand between tactical learning and doctrinal innovation and training.
—Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2024
In 2017, Francis perplexed Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, then the church’s doctrinal watchdog, by ordering him to fire three conservative priests in his office.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
There are important doctrinal differences between mainstream Shiism and Zaidi Islam: mainstream Shiites recognize 12 imams, for instance, while Zaidis recognize only five.
—Alexandra Stark, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2024
But the Vatican did not rush to clear away any of the confusions that the statement itself created, while progressives seeking thorough doctrinal change claimed victory.
—Nr Editors, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023
Throughout his papacy, Francis has withheld the church's position on doctrinal matters but introduced a softer approach to those who didn't follow the church's teaching, especially regarding LGBTQ people.
—Melissa Gaffney, ABC News, 18 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'doctrinal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near doctrinal
Cite this Entry
“Doctrinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doctrinal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share