orthodoxy
Americannoun
plural
orthodoxies-
orthodox belief or practice.
-
orthodox character.
noun
-
orthodox belief or practice
-
the quality of being orthodox
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of orthodoxy
1620–30; < Late Latin orthodoxia < Greek orthodoxía right opinion, equivalent to orthódox ( os ) ( see orthodox) + -ia -y 3
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Explanation
A widely accepted belief or theory is an orthodoxy. You could call the scientific theory of gravity an orthodoxy, since it's generally considered to be an established fact. The word orthodoxy comes from the Greek root words orthos, which means right, true or straight, and doxa, opinion. So orthodoxy describes the one true opinion. The noun orthodoxy, pronounced "OR-thuh-dock-see," is most commonly used to talk about religious beliefs. When you conform to the orthodoxy of a particular religion, you follow its accepted doctrines, like a Christian's belief in an all-powerful God.
Vocabulary lists containing orthodoxy
"Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell
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Darius the Great Is Not Okay
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"American Flag Stands for Tolerance" by Ronald J. Allen
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was joined by clergymen including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the most senior bishop in Eastern Orthodoxy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
"The monastery's property is being seized and expropriated. This spiritual beacon of Orthodoxy and Hellenism is now facing an existential threat," he said in a statement.
From BBC • Sep. 6, 2025
Bartholomew I is regarded as the “first among equals” among patriarchs in Eastern Orthodoxy and the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2024
Lauded by some in the West for challenging the assumptions of Putin's Russia, Russian officials say the group has intentionally tried to be disrespectful of Russian culture, morality and Orthodoxy.
From Reuters • Nov. 7, 2023
He was almost my height, but he was rail thin, and he had his hair spiked up in front, almost like a Soulless Minion of Orthodoxy.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
