doctrinaire

American  

[dok-truh-nair] / ˈdɒk trəˈnɛər /

noun

1. a person who tries to apply some doctrine or theory without sufficient regard for practical considerations; an impractical theorist.

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adjective

1. dogmatic about others' acceptance of one's ideas; fanatical.

   a doctrinaire preacher.

   Synonyms:

   unyielding, inflexible, uncompromising, authoritarian

   Antonyms:

   flexible, reasonable

2. merely theoretical; impractical.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of a doctrinaire.

doctrinaire British  

/ ˌdɒktrɪˈnɛə /

adjective

1. stubbornly insistent on the observation of the niceties of a theory, esp without regard to practicality, suitability, etc

2. theoretical; impractical

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noun

1. a person who stubbornly attempts to apply a theory without regard to practical difficulties

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undoctrinaire
  adjective
• nondoctrinaire
  adjective
• overdoctrinaire
  adjective
• doctrinarian
  noun
• doctrinairism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of doctrinaire

From French, dating back to 1810–20; see origin at doctrine, -aire

Explanation

You've doubtless met someone doctrinaire at some point. You know them by their complete unwillingness to accept any belief other than their own. If you're familiar with the noun "doctrine" — a formal idea or system of belief — you'll have no problem with the adjective doctrinaire. It's a just a way of describing a person or group of people who are set in their ways. Parents can start out doctrinaire, but children soon force them to be flexible in how they bring them up.