dogma

American  

[dawg-muh, dog-] / ˈdɔg mə, ˈdɒg- /

noun

• dogmas,
  plural
• dogmata
  plural

1. an official system of principles or tenets concerning faith, morals, behavior, etc., as of a church.

   Synonyms:

   philosophy, doctrine

2. a specific tenet or doctrine authoritatively laid down, as by a church.

   the dogma of the Assumption;

   the recently defined dogma of papal infallibility.

   Synonyms:

   law, canon, tenet

3. prescribed doctrine proclaimed as unquestionably true by a particular group.

   the difficulty of resisting political dogma.

4. a settled or established opinion, belief, or principle.

   the classic dogma of objectivity in scientific observation.

   Synonyms:

   certainty, conviction

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dogma British  

/ ˈdɒɡmə /

noun

1. a religious doctrine or system of doctrines proclaimed by ecclesiastical authority as true

2. a belief, principle, or doctrine or a code of beliefs, principles, or doctrines

   Marxist dogma

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dogma Cultural  

1. A teaching or set of teachings laid down by a religious group, usually as part of the essential beliefs of the group.

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Pop Culture

— Dogma: A film written and directed by Kevin Smith, released in 1999. —Dogma 95: A movement in cinema started by Danish director Lars von Trier in 1995, which established filmmaking constraints such as no use of special effects.

Discover More

The term dogma is often applied to statements put forward by someone who thinks, inappropriately, that they should be accepted without proof.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dogmas
  plural
• dogmata
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dogma

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin: “philosophical tenet, principle, dogma,” from Greek dógma “what seems good, opinion, belief, (in philosophy) doctrine; decision, public decree, ordinance,” equivalent to dok(eîn) “to expect, think, seem, seem good, pretend” + -ma noun suffix

Explanation

Dogma means the doctrine of belief in a religion or a political system. The literal meaning of dogma in ancient Greek was "something that seems true." These days, in English, dogma is more absolute. If you believe in a certain religion or philosophy, you believe in its dogma, or core assumptions. If you belong to a cult that believes that cupcake consumption is the only true path, then you follow the cupcake dogma. Dogma, once adopted, is accepted without question. Go eat cupcakes!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dogma dogmas dogmata

"This challenges the dogma that calorie reduction is necessary to lose weight, but it also tells us that we need to have clear understanding of the mechanisms," he said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

This is a refreshing change from the dogma of the past several years.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Thus, he dared to break with long-held dogma that the economy would overheat and spark runaway inflation if allowed to grow at a sustained rate of much above 2.5% per year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

Ultimately, “Feed the People!” is a worthwhile corrective to a great deal of wrongheaded popular dogma about food.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

The news about DNA and the genetic code did not displace an earlier dogma; there was nothing much there to be moved aside.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

In the Middle East, the dogmas of the past are inadequate to the stormy present.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

"It is up to all of us to preserve confidence in our democratic coexistence," he said, adding: "In democracy, one's own ideas can never be dogmas; nor can those of others be threats."

From Barron's ● Dec. 24, 2025

CrossFit might, per the founder, have a bit of a religion-slash-biker-gang aura around it—but what it transmitted to me about food and body fat wasn’t all that different from the standard cultural dogmas.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2023

In “Succession,” “Ozark” and to lesser extent, “Better Call Saul,” the prisons are a bit more DIY, a combination of unfortunate circumstances twisted into something worse by certain dogmas of family, power, identity and legacy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2022

At parties they start to ask leading questions that have the ring of inquisition; they are interested in my positions, my dogmas.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

The globe was the country of its dogmata.

From History of the Girondists, Volume I Personal Memoirs of the Patriots of the French Revolution by H. T. Ryde

All these dogmata were mingled in an equal contempt for existing institutions in one same aspiration for the renewal of the mind and things.

From History of the Girondists, Volume I Personal Memoirs of the Patriots of the French Revolution by H. T. Ryde

If then, in the speculative sphere of pure reason, no dogmata are to be found; all dogmatical methods, whether borrowed from mathematics, or invented by philosophical thinkers, are alike inappropriate and inefficient.

From The Critique of Pure Reason by John Miller Dow Meiklejohn

Early writers of the modern period, Protestant or Roman Catholic, use it frequently of heretics; thus the Augsburg Confession protests Dogmata in revived use. that the Protestants have carefully avoided nova dogmata.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 6 "Dodwell" to "Drama" by Various

And without a change of dogmata, what is there but the slavery of men groaning and pretending to obey?

From The Conflict of Religions in the Early Roman Empire by T. R. (Terrot Reaveley) Glover

Related Words

• credo
• creed
• doctrine
• gospel
• precept
• teachings
• tenet