1
as in principles
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 philosophies
the basic beliefs or guiding principles of a person or group
the doctrine of quantum physicists
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Recent Examples of doctrines
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
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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Later in the conversation, Huang explained how critical the onboarding process is at Nvidia, which needs to impart its culture, philosophies, and practices to new hires.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
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Explore philosophies that give you better insight into the meaning of your life.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The media entertains these questions, in an effort to intellectualize the ideologies underpinning the cult’s bloodlust.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Oct. 2025
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The difference with Minor Black Figures is Wyeth’s active role in reproducing the ideologies that hold him hostage.—
Tembe Denton-Hurst,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Over the course of a conversation that spanned more than a million words and 300 hours, the bot encouraged Brooks to adopt grandiose beliefs, validated his delusions, and led him to believe the technological infrastructure that underpins the world was in imminent danger.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
19 Oct. 2025
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Like their forebears in a bygone era of Republican politics, their beliefs are defined by faith in free markets and suspicion of government meddling in society.—
David M. Drucker,
Twin Cities,
19 Oct. 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
Cite this Entry
“Doctrines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doctrines. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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