dogma

noun dog·ma \ ˈdȯg-mə , ˈdäg- \

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of dogma

plural dogmas also dogmata play \-mə-tə\

1 a : 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

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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 of dogma from the Web

By the early nineteen-eighties, Gale’s dogma, in the form of the Posse Comitatus movement, had taken hold in the Midwestern farm belt, which was reeling from a foreclosure crisis.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "The Renegade Sheriffs," 23 Apr. 2018
Tribes have formed and dogmas have been formulated.

— morgen peck, Glamour, "Cryptocurrency Is Not Just a Boys' Club," 24 Apr. 2018
That’s why conservative women running for office are roundly ignored and why the millions of women who want their representatives to embody anything other than progressive dogma are left without options in this female revolution.

— alexandra desanctis, National Review, "‘Women’s Movement’ Rejects Female Conservatives Running for Office," 25 Jan. 2018
The shake-up occurred after the Globe outlined how Wellesley’s Freedom Project was pitched to conservative donors as a way to break through perceived liberal dogma on American campuses.

— annie linskey, BostonGlobe.com, "Koch effort at Wellesley founders after public attention," 27 Mar. 2018
The globe is ever more networked, and has reduced unfathomable distances to the breadth of a screen; the globe is ever more riven, and political and social identities have solidified into stereotypes and dogmas.

— roberta smith, will heinrich, martha schwendener and jason farago, New York Times, "What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week," 29 Mar. 2018
George Kennan warned more than 70 years ago that Moscow’s expansionary policy was driven more by its history and culture than by Marx ist dogma.

— walter russell mead, WSJ, "Toothless Gestures Won’t Stop Putin," 19 Mar. 2018
Bucatini is a lesson in the foolishness of dogma, a case against absolute commitment to an ideal.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "Bucatini Is the Best Long Pasta There Ever Was or Will Be," 19 Feb. 2018
And the announcement came on a day when Trump had already toppled a pillar of U.S. policy dogma, breaking the long-standing commitment to freer trade by imposing stiff tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

— justin sink, Bloomberg.com, "Trump’s Historic Bet on Kim Summit Shatters Decades of Orthodoxy," 9 Mar. 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.

Did You Know?

Religious dogma and scientific dogma are sometimes at odds, as in arguments between those who believe in the biblical story of creation and those who believe in evolution. Since all dogma resists change, arguments of any kind are harder to resolve when both sides are dogmatic in their beliefs. Dogma and dogmatic are generally used disapprovingly; it's always other people who believe unquestioningly in dogma and who take a dogmatic approach to important issues.

Origin and Etymology of dogma

Latin dogmat-, dogma, from Greek, from dokein to seem — more at decent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1534

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

dogma Synonyms

Synonyms

canon, doctrine;

Related Words

canon law;

belief, conviction, tenet;

credo, creed, ideology (also idealogy), philosophy, theology;

axiom, precept, principle;

symbol;

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

DOGMA Defined for English Language Learners

dogma

noun

Definition of dogma for English Language Learners

: a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted
: a belief or set of beliefs that is taught by a religious organization