DOCTRINAL Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

doctrinal

adjective

Definition of doctrinal

as in philosophical

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of doctrinal Formed in 1994, the fellowship has increasingly served as a forum for traditionalist provinces to coordinate responses to doctrinal disputes. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026 This air-to-sea command transfer represents a doctrinal advance. — Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026 From public safety to regime protection The transformation was not only structural but doctrinal. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 Mar. 2026 For them, suspicion of medical abuses continues, even as no doctrinal mandate per se rejects modern medical interventions. — Cory Anderson, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for doctrinal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for doctrinal

Adjective

But in this blue collar, factory-like environment, there was no blurred line, no grey area, no philosophical question to fret over.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026
That’s an ambitious philosophical proposition in an era increasingly dominated by information, algorithms and artificial intelligence.

— Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of philosophical

Adjective

This dogmatic approach to revolutionary citizenship led to the horrible treatment of any perceived as nonconformist, such as LGBTQ people, hippies or punks.

— Juan Carlos Albarran, The Conversation, 13 July 2026
Volatile, quarrelsome, dogmatic, and sure of his own brilliance, Reinhold outraged patrons, amassed huge debts, and turned his eldest son into an exhausted workhorse.

— Jenny Uglow, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026

Definition of dogmatic

Adjective

Handwritten notes can lead students to perform better on questions requiring conceptual understanding, when compared to students typing on laptops.

— James Davis, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
To that point, the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires that agency actions observe procedural requirements, generally applies to final agency actions—not tentative or merely conceptual ones.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of conceptual

Adjective

Leo opened his visit to Pompeii by meeting with sick and disabled people who are cared for by a charity center affiliated with the sanctuary, which Leo’s namesake, Pope Leo XIII, declared a pontifical basilica in 1901.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026
That public spat has overshadowed his pontifical tour of four African countries, which ended Thursday with a Mass for thousands of people in Malabo, the former capital of Equatorial Guinea.

— Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026

Definition of pontifical

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doctrinaires

doctrinal

doctrine

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“Doctrinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doctrinal. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of doctrinal

adjective

Example Sentences

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