creed

American  

[kreed] / krid /

noun

1. any system, doctrine, or formula of religious belief, as of a denomination.

   Synonyms:

   dogma, credo, conviction, faith

2. any system or codification of belief or of opinion.

   Synonyms:

   dogma, credo, conviction, faith

3. an authoritative, formulated statement of the chief articles of Christian belief, as the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, or the Athanasian Creed.

4. the creed. Apostles' Creed.

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creed ¹ British  

/ kriːd /

noun

1. a concise, formal statement of the essential articles of Christian belief, such as the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed

2. any statement or system of beliefs or principles

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Creed ² British  

/ kriːd /

noun

1. Frederick. 1871–1957, Canadian inventor, resident in Scotland from 1897, noted for his invention of the teleprinter, first used in 1912

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Other Word Forms

• credal adjective
• creedal adjective
• creeded adjective
• creedless adjective
• creedlessness noun
• precreed noun

Etymology

Origin of creed

First recorded before 1000; Middle English crede, Old English crēda, from Latin crēdō “I believe”; credo

Explanation

Without reading the long document about the group's beliefs — its creed — he knew he didn't fit in, because he just couldn't bow to the 12-foot statue of a rabbit, no matter what it symbolized. A creed can be a formal doctrine, or system of beliefs, for a church or religious group, or it can be a philosophy, or personal set of beliefs. The origins of the word are in the Latin crēdō, "I believe," once specific to the Christian faith, but by the 17th century it was used for many different faiths. Companies, societies, and disciplines might also adopt a creed — as in a political creed, a national creed, or a management creed — that lays out a particular belief-system or way of doing things.

Example Sentences

He grew up fluent in Germany’s cultural creed and uneasy about its promises.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

His answer was no: “A creed alone does not a nation make.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

When Garland finally agreed to do so, he requested only that the funds be disbursed “as quickly as possible, and to ‘unpopular’ causes, without regard to race, creed, or color.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025

But while Grimshaw remained true to the hi-tech minimalist creed, Farrell increasingly felt pulled in a different direction.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025

The Handdara is a religion without institution, without priests, without hierarchy, without vows, without creed; I am still unable to say whether it has a God or not.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• doctrine
• dogma
• faith
• ideology
• persuasion
• profession
• religion
• tenet