doctrine

American  

[dok-trin] / ˈdɒk trɪn /

noun

1. a particular principle, position, or policy taught or advocated, as of a religion or government.

   Catholic doctrines;

   the Monroe Doctrine.

   Synonyms:

   belief, precept, theory, dogma, tenet

2. something that is taught; teachings collectively.

   religious doctrine.

3. a body or system of teachings relating to a particular subject.

   the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

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doctrine British  

/ ˌdɒktrɪˈnælɪtɪ, ˈdɒktrɪn, dɒkˈtraɪnəl /

noun

1. a creed or body of teachings of a religious, political, or philosophical group presented for acceptance or belief; dogma

2. a principle or body of principles that is taught or advocated

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Other Word Forms

• doctrinal adjective
• doctrinality noun
• doctrinally adverb
• doctrinism noun
• doctrinist noun
• self-doctrine noun

Etymology

Origin of doctrine

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin doctrīna “teaching,” from doct(o)r doctor + -īna -ine ²

Explanation

A doctrine is a set of beliefs. The word comes from the Latin doctor for “teacher,” so think of a doctrine is the teachings of a school, religion, or political group. The Monroe Doctrine is the policy that President Monroe introduced in 1823 to limit European influence in the Americas. It has been a major part of U.S. foreign policy, but was revamped in 2013 by Secretary of State John Kerry in the Kerry Doctrine. Doctrine and doctor derive from the same Latin word, docere, which means "to teach": doctor means "teacher," and doctrina means "teaching, learning."

Example Sentences

In Batson doctrine, the danger has always been that Step 2 becomes the whole game.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

Recently, the doctrine has come in for scathing criticism from commentators across the ideological spectrum.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Neither of them made any substantive changes to core Roman Catholic doctrine, but when you’re the bishop of Rome and the head of the world’s largest single religious denomination, practice matters more than theory.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

They began a decades-long pursuit of a new doctrine supported by new weapons to prevent the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

As Islam spread, zero diffused throughout the Muslim-controlled world, everywhere conflicting with Aristotle’s doctrine.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• attitude
• axiom
• belief
• concept
• creed
• dogma
• precept
• proposition
• regulation
• rule
• statement
• teaching
• tenet
• tradition