1
as in theologies
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
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2
as in ideologies
the basic beliefs or guiding principles of a person or group
the doctrine of quantum physicists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of doctrines
Those in support of the bill argue that the Bible's teachings informed the nation's core doctrines, and that the Ten Commandments offer needed moral reinforcement for schoolchildren.
—
Cate Charron, IndyStar, 27 Jan. 2026
Legal challenges to constitutional doctrines underpinning the modern American administrative state wend their way through increasingly sympathetic courts, promising sweeping changes to the ways our most important institutions act.
—Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026
The larger point here is that the new justice and the governor are strong advocates of literalism and originalism — legal doctrines holding that constitutions and laws should be read precisely as the authors wrote and understood them.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
What Structural Integration Would Look Like The good news is that avoiding that outcome does not require sweeping new doctrines.
—Robert Ginsburg, Forbes.com, 31 Dec. 2025
The hysteria about a superior race, the insistence that all would be well if one insidious group was purged—those doctrines had been entirely defeated.
—Joan Silber, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
Fundamental philosophical and religious doctrines emerged in China, India, and the Middle East, along with Greece.
—Big Think, 16 Nov. 2025
The Fed chair’s grounding in history liberated him from rigid doctrines and encouraged innovative policymaking.
—John T. Shaw, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
To operate effectively, coalition forces need joint doctrines, training cycles, and logistics systems.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025
Cate Charron, IndyStar, 27 Jan. 2026
Legal challenges to constitutional doctrines underpinning the modern American administrative state wend their way through increasingly sympathetic courts, promising sweeping changes to the ways our most important institutions act.
—Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026
The larger point here is that the new justice and the governor are strong advocates of literalism and originalism — legal doctrines holding that constitutions and laws should be read precisely as the authors wrote and understood them.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
What Structural Integration Would Look Like The good news is that avoiding that outcome does not require sweeping new doctrines.
—Robert Ginsburg, Forbes.com, 31 Dec. 2025
The hysteria about a superior race, the insistence that all would be well if one insidious group was purged—those doctrines had been entirely defeated.
—Joan Silber, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
Fundamental philosophical and religious doctrines emerged in China, India, and the Middle East, along with Greece.
—Big Think, 16 Nov. 2025
The Fed chair’s grounding in history liberated him from rigid doctrines and encouraged innovative policymaking.
—John T. Shaw, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
To operate effectively, coalition forces need joint doctrines, training cycles, and logistics systems.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doctrines
Noun
-
If there’s a genuine, committed, energetic movement to evolve these theologies, there are huge opportunities.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The forthcoming podcast will explore the moral, social, and philosophical underpinnings of human decency—with a particular focus on the role that institutions play in shaping communities and ideologies.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Now that Musk has massively tarnished the brand with his public embrace of far-right ideologies, putting a major dent in its cars’ desirability, and competition in the space is stronger than ever, particularly from China, the richest man in the world is ready to move on to his next shiny obsession.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While they were aligned on (mostly) monochromatic looks, the sisters had different dogmas about their bags.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
-
There’s a common, but untrue, narrative that certain sets of scientific dogmas, like the Earth being stationary and the center of the Universe, could not be challenged.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In a world that’s going increasingly analog, this return to ancient philosophies and techniques is not entirely surprising.—
Annie Daly,
SELF,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Researching your current philosophies should ultimately be quite rewarding, although the process may be emotionally challenging.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
All denominations across all creeds, all colors.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
High-profile stars and politicians of all creeds have been up in arms and ABC owner Disney has come in for particularly stern criticism over the very live situation.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This opens the door to distortions, the possibility of blending details with other experiences and even creating beliefs about events that never actually happened.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Some, in fact, have even been killed for their beliefs.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Stockholm Series reminded me that one function of canons is to create solidarity.—
Colton Valentine,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Both male and female idols (and the crowds) are drenched by water canons throughout the festival.—
Jae-Ha Kim,
Rolling Stone,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Doctrines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doctrines. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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