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

Friedman was, as usual, channeling mainstream foreign policy dogma, which briefly held that constructive change might emerge from the chaotic aftermath of the Oct.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

The very best novels will never try to explicitly sell you lies as the truth, or narrative as dogma.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

"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

"Never was there a dogma more calculated to foster indolence, and to blunt the keen edge of curiosity," sniffed Lyell.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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

Students are taught—what I never had to be taught—that religion is not simply a matter of dogmas or theological truths; that religion involves a person’s whole way of life.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

The foregoing considerations may be summed up in the form of three dogmata, all of which orthodox Christianity teaches.

From Monophysitism Past and Present A Study in Christology by A. A. (Arthur Aston) Luce

Your friend has the remedy in his own hands; let him "purify his dogmata."

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

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

I divide all apodeictic propositions, whether demonstrable or immediately certain, into dogmata and mathemata.

From The Critique of Pure Reason by John Miller Dow Meiklejohn

For she herself alone can affect and move herself, and according as the dogmata and opinions are, which she doth vouchsafe herself; so are those things which, as accessories, have any co-existence with her.

From Meditations by Emperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius

Related Words

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