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
The Fed chair’s grounding in history liberated him from rigid doctrines and encouraged innovative policymaking.
—
John T. Shaw, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
Courts, for their part, developed legal doctrines that require them to presume the President’s good faith in deferring to him.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
To operate effectively, coalition forces need joint doctrines, training cycles, and logistics systems.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025
Some of these nations have strategic doctrines that include launching disruptive or even destructive cyberattacks on such non-military targets in the run-up to conflict.
—Jim Richberg, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
While contestants form their own codes of ethics and unspoken social doctrines, the villa speaks its own design language, which guides the behavior of the islanders and keeps the show running smoothly.
—Tayler Adigun, Architectural Digest, 24 Aug. 2025
This was because new doctrines such as Luther’s, and later John Calvin’s, did not spread evenly through European populations.
—Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
John T. Shaw, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
Courts, for their part, developed legal doctrines that require them to presume the President’s good faith in deferring to him.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
To operate effectively, coalition forces need joint doctrines, training cycles, and logistics systems.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025
Some of these nations have strategic doctrines that include launching disruptive or even destructive cyberattacks on such non-military targets in the run-up to conflict.
—Jim Richberg, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
While contestants form their own codes of ethics and unspoken social doctrines, the villa speaks its own design language, which guides the behavior of the islanders and keeps the show running smoothly.
—Tayler Adigun, Architectural Digest, 24 Aug. 2025
This was because new doctrines such as Luther’s, and later John Calvin’s, did not spread evenly through European populations.
—Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doctrines
Noun
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Moon’s poems suggest Buddhist ideologies and Korean temples, yet the works remain largely free of cultural-specific imagery and are, instead, naturalistic or universal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Frey, a progressive Democrat, and Fateh, a socialist who has been compared to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, not only differ in their political ideologies but also in their approaches to housing and other issues.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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
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The two companies, which share similar brand- and consumer-focused philosophies, are increasingly coming into direct competition as Ralph Lauren builds in handbags, Coach’s bread-and-butter business.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
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Durant’s difference in opinion wasn’t surprising to Green, knowing that their basketball philosophies aren’t always aligned.—
Jordy Fee-Platt,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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
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Antisemites denounced Jews both as capitalists and as communists—two creeds international in scope.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Now, try marrying those beliefs and behaviors with someone else's.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
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Because of their biblical beliefs about Israel, Hummel said, evangelical backers, known as Christian Zionists, have become central to American support.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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There are no canons of forgery in Quintilian’s Institutes or Cicero.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
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The confetti canons that blast moments later are blinding.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Doctrines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doctrines. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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