doctrinal
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of doctrinal
1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin doctrīnālis, equivalent to Latin doctrīn ( a ) ( see doctrine) + -ālis -al 1
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.
Antiqua et Nova, a doctrinal note of the Catholic Church published in January of 2025, uses the term “human person.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
Bishop James Massa, the top doctrinal official of the U.S. bishops’ conference, said the pope is upholding just war theory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026
Taken together, the Supreme Court’s remedial discipline and the legislature’s doctrinal clarification reflect a coordinated institutional response.
From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026
Prof Xulu said churches like the IPHC, while having an "eclectic approach to Christianity" that was "half-Christian, half-African", did have doctrinal justifications for their traditions as well as "internal dispute-resolution mechanisms".
From BBC • May 3, 2025
Now, huge doctrinal differences hang on the placing of this comma.
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
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.
