dogma

noun

dog·ma | \ ˈdȯg-mə

, ˈdäg-\

plural dogmas also dogmata\ -mə-tə

Definition of dogma

1a : something held as an established opinion especially : a definite authoritative tenet

b : a code of such tenets pedagogical dogma

c : a point of view or tenet put forth as authoritative without adequate grounds

2 : a doctrine or body of doctrines concerning faith or morals formally stated and authoritatively proclaimed by a church

Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about dogma

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Examples of dogma in a Sentence

The Saudi regime has tried to deflect questions about its management of the country … by supporting and spreading an uncompromising religious dogma. — Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2001 He was known for his ability to burst the bubble of generally accepted dogma, to puncture it with data and detached observations. — Sherwin B. Nuland, New Republic, 19 Feb. 2001 It had long been biological dogma that whales were scarce in the open ocean, but the Navy was picking up whale songs thousands of miles from land. — Sharon Begley et al., Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2000 For in creating a cultural orthodoxy designed to combat racism, urban disorder, and a legacy of oppression, we subject ourselves to delusional dogma, the tyranny of conformity … — Gerald Early, Harper's, January 1997 These new findings challenge the current dogma in the field. the Catholic dogma of the bodily assumption of the Virgin Mary

Recent Examples on the Web

Writing to his friend, the mathematician Benedetto Castelli, Galileo first outlined his rejection of Church dogma and its overbearing influence on the Copernican theory that Earth revolved around the sun. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Newfound Galileo Letter Suggests He Lied to Dupe the Church and Avoid Persecution," 25 Sep. 2018 But there’s a problem: Many who accept this dogma are the very people who need the government the most. — Sean Illing, Vox, "Why so many people who need the government hate it," 17 Aug. 2018 In perhaps the subtlest portrayal of his career, Nivola shows how Dovid struggles to reconcile his faith’s dogma and his own jealousy with, ultimately, his feelings of empathy. — Mark Jenkins, kansascity, "In ‘Disobedience,’ two women in love struggle with society’s norms | The Kansas City Star," 17 May 2018 The central dogma of maternal inheritance of mtDNA remains valid. — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "Plot twist: Mitochondrial DNA can come from both parents," 28 Nov. 2018 Sessions also objected to members of Congress asking judicial and executive branch nominees about their religious dogma. — Eric Tucker, Fox News, "Sessions: US culture 'less hospitable to people of faith'," 31 July 2018 His protagonists, a religious family who leave their Puritan village over dogma differences and settle in the wilderness, run afoul of witches in the woods. — Tasha Robinson, The Verge, "The new horror film canon (and where to stream it)," 1 Nov. 2018 Shame on me for challenging one of the dogmas of dermatology. — Liz Szabo, The Seattle Times, "The man who sold America on vitamin D — and profited in the process," 20 Aug. 2018 In the meantime, though, his questioning of the dogma of static continents started to catch on. — Meg Neal, Popular Mechanics, "We’ve Been Wrong Before: The Expanding Earth Theory," 3 Aug. 2018

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