ideology

noun

ˌī-dē-ˈä-lə-jē How to pronounce ideology (audio)
variants also idealogy
Definition of ideologynext
as in philosophy
the basic beliefs or guiding principles of a person or group members of that sect follow an ideology of nonviolence and freely given cooperation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 ideology Teaching students how democracy functions is not about promoting a political ideology. — Clarine Nardi Riddle, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026 No American president has ever aided Russian ideology so well. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026 Of course, Badhon’s salon manager, blinded by dominant ideology, would vehemently disagree. — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026 Similar to Moulton, this campaign centered heavily on age and ideology. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ideology
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ideology
  1. philosophy
  2. doctrine
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
  • But organizations built around the battleship did not abandon decades of doctrine, expertise and status simply because something better had arrived.
    — Pankaj Prasoon, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Driscoll was widely seen as less combative and positioned himself as a driving force for modernizing the Army through updating its doctrine and integrating robots, drones and other emerging technologies into the force.
    — Luis Martinez, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of doctrine

Browse Nearby Words

ideologues
ideology
idiocies
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ideology.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ideology. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on ideology

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ideology

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 shofar

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?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
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