doctrinal

adjective

Definition of doctrinalnext
as in philosophical

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 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 This doctrinal stance shaped Beijing’s early response. — John Calabrese, The Conversation, 6 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
  • How do the questions AI raises invoke much older philosophical and theological problems that have haunted intellectual history?
    — Meghan O’Gieblyn, The New York Review of Books, 11 July 2026
  • Expect plenty of action, interpersonal tensions and philosophical dilemmas around destiny and morality.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of philosophical
Adjective
  • 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
  • At all stages of history, Habermas shows, humanity has been trying to work out codes for the common good, and these surface even in times of dogmatic repression.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Definition of dogmatic
Adjective
  • Instead, Alito made news for writing major decisions that split the court 6-3 along ideological lines.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • But since the first waves of Cuban migration, deep ideological differences have existed in the Miami Cuban community.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
Definition of ideological
Adjective
  • The work includes site evaluation, facility design criteria, and conceptual designs for the process building and supporting infrastructure needed for future deployment.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
  • The conceptual artist, who died at the age of 83, first created the Pindakaasvloer, or peanut butter floor, in 1969.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Definition of conceptual
Adjective
  • The idea remained largely theoretical until institutional acceptance of crypto, a friendlier regulatory environment and war in the Middle East pushed oil back to the center of investor attention just as Energy Substantiation prepared to launch.
    — Mia Gindis, Fortune, 9 July 2026
  • James DiFrisco, a philosopher of theoretical biology at the Francis Crick Institute in London, thinks not.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 8 July 2026
Definition of theoretical
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

Browse Nearby Words

doctrinaires
doctrinal
doctrine
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Doctrinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doctrinal. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of bibelot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All