doctrine

noun

ˈdäk-trən How to pronounce doctrine (audio)
Definition of doctrinenext
1
as in theology
a statement or body of statements concerning faith or morals proclaimed by a church the Catholic Church's doctrine on the Eucharist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in ideology
the basic beliefs or guiding principles of a person or group the doctrine of quantum physicists

Synonyms & Similar 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 doctrine This trend changed in 1999, when Hugo Chavez became Venezuela’s president and introduced Chavismo as the country’s guiding economic doctrine. — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 Hindu texts do not provide a single general doctrine or interpretation of divine morphological multiplicity. — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 In addition, Kushner might invoke attorney-client privilege and the work-product doctrine, which exempt certain materials prepared by attorneys in investigations conducted in anticipation of litigation or trial. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 Aug. 2026 The government may not decide that Church teaching is insufficiently religious, insufficiently consistent with Catholic doctrine, or insufficiently compelling to justify an ecclesiastical policy. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for doctrine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doctrine
  1. theology
  2. ideology
  3. principle
  4. philosophy
  5. dogma
Noun
  • Some arrive curious about Route 66 nostalgia and find, instead, a working man’s theology of remembrance.
    — Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The explosive growth of NAR, with its theology of demonization, conquest, and theocratic ambition, was a catalyst.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of theology
Noun
  • Yet, today, the State Department lists five times as many groups with extremist ideologies, as were designated in 2001, Hoffman noted.
    — Robin Wright, New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Democrats hope that Talarico will benefit from Paxton's candidacy, given his history of personal controversies and more conservative ideology than Cornyn.
    — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of ideology
Noun
  • Coach Nick Sirianni hired another first-time play-caller, Sean Mannion, to build a brand new system with principles championed by Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • On October 7, Hamas, a group that al-Qaeda regularly criticized for compromising on theological principles in the pursuit of its political agenda, launched a bloody terrorist attack on Israel, killing more than 1,100 people.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of principle
Noun
  • The following year, Luis Enrique arrived, and Ruiz says the players responded well to his fellow countryman’s philosophy and style of play.
    — Tom Burrows, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a certain philosophy to dressing the body in Japan where the clothing obscures the body.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of philosophy
Noun
  • It’s not locked into the rigid dogma of New York, Chicago or Detroit.
    — Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 2 Sep. 2026
  • But to me, especially at that time, newly estranged from faith, skeptical of religious dogma, but still steeped in the values and sensibilities of my Christian upbringing, the entire performance felt deeply offensive.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of dogma

Browse Nearby Words

doctrinal
doctrine
doctrines
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Doctrine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doctrine. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on doctrine

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about doctrine

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 empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All