doctrinaire

American  

[dok-truh-nair] / ˈdɒk trəˈnɛər /

noun

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

---

adjective

1. dogmatic about others' acceptance of one's ideas; fanatical.

   a doctrinaire preacher.

   Synonyms:

   unyielding, inflexible, uncompromising, authoritarian

   Antonyms:

   flexible, reasonable

2. merely theoretical; impractical.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of a doctrinaire.

doctrinaire British  

/ ˌdɒktrɪˈnɛə /

adjective

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

2. theoretical; impractical

---

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• doctrinairism noun
• doctrinarian noun
• nondoctrinaire adjective
• overdoctrinaire adjective
• undoctrinaire adjective

Etymology

Origin of doctrinaire

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

Example Sentences

A fun game to play is to ask your most politically doctrinaire friends if there’s a policy they secretly support that cuts against their usual views.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

"The modernism that was around before the 1980s was very grey, restrictive, utilitarian and quite doctrinaire really," Farrell said.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025

Hwang is too agile a playwright to be doctrinaire.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2024

I’ve just spent a week tramping across Venice, a city of more than 250 churches, and where did I encounter the most doctrinaire catechism?

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2024

Though he has his eye ever open to principle, he is the very opposite of the mere doctrinaire.

From The Brothers' War by Reed, John Calvin