doctrinal

adjective

Definition of doctrinalnext
as in philosophical

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Example Sentences

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 Formal doctrinal talks between Rome and the SSPX later stalled over disagreements on the authority of the Second Vatican Council and modern Church teachings. — Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for doctrinal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doctrinal
  1. philosophical
  2. dogmatic
  3. ideological
  4. conceptual
  5. theoretical
  6. pontifical
Adjective
  • To stand in our power of sexy, and that was a huge, huge philosophical shift within the business.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • In a spring 2026 paper, Ravfogel and his NYU colleagues Shashwat Singh and Tal Linzen raised an even broader philosophical concern with how language model researchers seek evidence of introspection.
    — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of philosophical
Adjective
  • In 1976, after signing a petition in support of Wilfried Linke, a fellow student expelled from the college for criticizing the dogmatic ideological orientation of Marxist-Leninist instruction, she herself was expelled.
    — Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • As young and upcoming English coaches go, Lampard, 48, is far from dogmatic.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of dogmatic
Adjective
  • Awards should turn on academic quality, open inquiry, and credible protections against ideological capture.
    — Ilya Shapiro, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
  • But the poll also showed an ideological divide within the Democratic coalition.
    — Joey Cappelletti, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of ideological
Adjective
  • The only way to fully understand the key mechanisms of democracy is through learning their conceptual mathematical foundations.
    — Ismar Volić, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Firstman had handed him Eric Goode’s book on Area, the legendary 1980s Tribeca club where a corner might display a cheeky conceptual piece by Andy Warhol or a nude model dressed to look like a statue.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of conceptual
Adjective
  • The new Anthropic models also reportedly solved two theoretical physics problems related to black holes, and identified a way to speed up research into gene therapies.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2026
  • That dream was recently proved false, however, when a group of theoretical physicists found that no light-bending material can ever be fully transparent, owing to a quantum process that turns waves of light into waves of sound.
    — Matthew von Hippel, Scientific American, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of theoretical
Adjective
  • In another decree published Monday, Leo canceled Francis’ plans to move some of the Vatican’s secret archives and library holdings out of the city state and onto the grounds of a pontifical university across town.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of pontifical

Browse Nearby Words

doctrinaires
doctrinal
doctrine
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Cite this Entry

“Doctrinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doctrinal. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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