theological
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or involved with theology.
a theological student.
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based upon the nature and will of God as revealed to humans.
adjective
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of, relating to, or based on theology
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based on God's revelation to man of his nature, his designs, and his will
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informal difficult to understand; esoteric
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of theological
First recorded in 1520–30; from Medieval Latin theologicālis, from theologic(us) (from Greek theologikós, from theolog(ía) theology + -ikos -ic ) + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Use the adjective theological to describe things related to religious studies. If you major in religion in college, you can call yourself a theological scholar. A theological university is often called a seminary, a school where all the students learn about some aspect of religion. Scholars use the word theology to describe a thoughtful and rational study of religious beliefs, ideas of God, the history of religion, and more. Some theological students become ministers or priests. The root word is Greek, theologia, "an account of the gods."
Vocabulary lists containing theological
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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World Religions
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The Golden Compass
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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.
A grant from the Rockefeller Fund for Theological Education brought him to the Chicago Theological Seminary, where he hoped to find a venue for social activism.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026
Margaret Ann Shriver was born in North Carolina to a homemaker mother who later worked for the National Council of Churches and a Presbyterian minister, later the president of Union Theological Seminary.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026
In 2002, when he retired as deputy clerk, Rev Poots was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Union Theological College in Belfast.
From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025
The Law, Rights, and Religion Project at Union Theological Seminary recently published a report to support faith-based organizations, houses of worship and civil rights advocates.
From Salon • Oct. 16, 2025
In the beginning of the third week of July, my father’s research for the article he was writing made it necessary for him to travel to the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
