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.
Vermeer emerged from the doctrinal matrices of 17th-century Delft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
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
There is always another doctrinal off-ramp available because the standard is constructed to keep recognition perpetually out of reach.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
The Court left some broader doctrinal questions unresolved.
From Barron's ● Jan. 14, 2026
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.
