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

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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

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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

"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

But just as pizzaiolos have riffed on the Neapolitan pie, some artisanal bakers have found that the key to success lies in strategically breaking from dogma.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

“Equality’s good. But equality and sameness are two different things. Sometimes those who say things without really contemplating what it truly means...That dogma runs a thin line.”

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

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

And speaking at the FDA was not just a matter, for these figures, of challenging conventional dogmas, but of boosting their own reputations, sometimes to the benefit of their own finances and audiences.

From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2025

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 one had deeply investigated the religious dogmata, the other the political institutions; and the president Dupaty had long after awakened there enthusiasm for the new system of philosophy.

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

So much for the dogmata of my friend Lismahago, whom I describe the more circumstantially, as I firmly believe he will set up his rest in Monmouthshire.

From The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by T. (Tobias) Smollett

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

The theosophists in their turn produced the symbols of supernatural perfection, and enrolled all susceptible minds and ardent imaginations around dogmata full of love and infinity.

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

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Related Words

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

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