dogma

American  

[dawg-muh, dog-] / ˈdɔg mə, ˈdɒg- /

noun

plural

dogmas,

plural

dogmata

1. an official system of principles or tenets concerning faith, morals, behavior, etc., as of a church.

   Synonyms:

   philosophy, doctrine

2. a specific tenet or doctrine authoritatively laid down, as by a church.

   the dogma of the Assumption;

   the recently defined dogma of papal infallibility.

   Synonyms:

   law, canon, tenet

3. prescribed doctrine proclaimed as unquestionably true by a particular group.

   the difficulty of resisting political dogma.

4. a settled or established opinion, belief, or principle.

   the classic dogma of objectivity in scientific observation.

   Synonyms:

   certainty, conviction

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dogma British  

/ ˈdɒɡmə /

noun

1. a religious doctrine or system of doctrines proclaimed by ecclesiastical authority as true

2. a belief, principle, or doctrine or a code of beliefs, principles, or doctrines

   Marxist dogma

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dogma Cultural  

1. A teaching or set of teachings laid down by a religious group, usually as part of the essential beliefs of the group.

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Pop Culture

— Dogma: A film written and directed by Kevin Smith, released in 1999. —Dogma 95: A movement in cinema started by Danish director Lars von Trier in 1995, which established filmmaking constraints such as no use of special effects.

Discover More

The term dogma is often applied to statements put forward by someone who thinks, inappropriately, that they should be accepted without proof.

Etymology

Origin of dogma

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin: “philosophical tenet, principle, dogma,” from Greek dógma “what seems good, opinion, belief, (in philosophy) doctrine; decision, public decree, ordinance,” equivalent to dok(eîn) “to expect, think, seem, seem good, pretend” + -ma noun suffix

Example Sentences

He has called for reform of the policy, a principle he fully supports but believes is being wrongly applied and has become a dogma that can be used to conceal wrongdoing.

From BBC

Additionally, scaling laws, once considered the industry’s central dogma, have come under increasing scrutiny as returns diminish.

From MarketWatch

As Ruttenbaum put it, he was “free of all architectural dogmas,” which allowed him to fit his buildings into existing neighborhoods and have them look like they belonged.

From The Wall Street Journal

But good intentions can harden into dogma, and instead of helping people work through conflicted feelings, practitioners doubled down on the proposition that any desire for change was evidence of internalized harm.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a bid to boost competitiveness, he has said he wants to scrap company dogma and the practice of “not taking decisions because we don’t take decisions.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• credo
• creed
• doctrine
• gospel
• precept
• teachings
• tenet