doctrinaire

[ dok-truh-nair ]

/ ˈdɒk trəˈnɛər /

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noun

a person who tries to apply some doctrine or theory without sufficient regard for practical considerations; an impractical theorist.

adjective

dogmatic about others' acceptance of one's ideas; fanatical: a doctrinaire preacher.

merely theoretical; impractical.

of, relating to, or characteristic of a doctrinaire.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

doctorial, doctorially, doctorow, doctorow, e. l., doctorspeak, doctrinaire, doctrinal, doctrinally, doctrine, doctrine of descent, docu-soap

Origin of doctrinaire

From French, dating back to 1810–20; see origin at doctrine, -aire

SYNONYMS FOR doctrinaire

2 authoritarian, uncompromising, inflexible, unyielding.

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ANTONYMS FOR doctrinaire

2 reasonable, flexible.

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Related formsdoc·tri·nair·ism, nounnon·doc·tri·naire, adjectiveo·ver·doc·tri·naire, adjectiveun·doc·tri·naire, adjective

Can be confuseddoctrinal doctrinaire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for doctrinaire

Bachmann is so doctrinaire she seems unlikely to be a serious contender in the general election.
Michele, You’re No Reagan|Jack W. Germond|July 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In this selective narrative, the only path to truth is doctrinaire conservatism.
Glenn Beck Declares War|John Avlon|February 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Hatch pushed for justices from the “mainstream” rather than “doctrinaire liberals.”
Naming the Obama Court|Scott Horton|February 8, 2009|DAILY BEAST
To the Doctrinaire there seems something sordid and vulgar in the anxiety to make the two ends—theory and practice—meet.
By the Christmas Fire|Samuel McChord Crothers

It will gain in utility and grace what it loses in pride, ambition, and doctrinaire pedantry.
God and the State|Mikhail Aleksandrovich Bakunin
They were revolutionary Marxists—doctrinaire to the bone—saturated with the dialectic.
The I.W.W.|Paul Frederick Brissenden
The Doctrinaire is like a mason who has mixed his cement before he is ready to use it.
By the Christmas Fire|Samuel McChord Crothers
The original instrument was not only democratic in tone, but doctrinaire.
The Governments of Europe|Frederic Austin Ogg

British Dictionary definitions for doctrinaire

doctrinaire

/ (ˌdɒktrɪˈnɛə) /

adjective

stubbornly insistent on the observation of the niceties of a theory, esp without regard to practicality, suitability, etc

theoretical; impractical

noun

a person who stubbornly attempts to apply a theory without regard to practical difficulties

Derived Formsdoctrinairism or doctrinarism, noundoctrinarian, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for doctrinaire

doctrinaire

1820, from French doctrinaire "impractical person," originally "adherent of doctrines" (14c.), from Latin doctrina (see doctrine).

At first used in the context of French politics, contemptuously applied by rival factions to those who tried to reconcile liberty with royal authority after 1815. Hence, anyone who applies doctrine without making allowance for practical considerations (1831). As an adjective, from 1834.