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Synonyms

dogmatism

American  
[dawg-muh-tiz-uhm, dog-] / ˈdɔg məˌtɪz əm, ˈdɒg- /

noun

  1. dogmatic character; unfounded positiveness in matters of opinion; arrogant assertion of opinions as truths.


Other Word Forms

  • antidogmatism noun
  • overdogmatism noun

Etymology

Origin of dogmatism

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin dogmatismus, equivalent to Latin dogmat(icus) dogmatic + -ismus -ism; replacing dogmatisme, from French

Explanation

Dogmatism is a way of thinking that is stubborn and narrow-minded, often because of prejudice and bigotry. This word has nothing to do with dogs. Rather, it has to do with being dogmatic: holding onto a view or set of views no matter what. The noun form is dogmatism, which is often a type of prejudice such as racism or sexism. Dogmatism includes a disregard for other people's opinions: there's no compromise possible.

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Vocabulary lists containing dogmatism

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.

This statement in part reflects, perhaps, her intolerance of intellectual dogmatism.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2024

Joseph de Maistre was "a fierce absolutist, a furious theocrat, an intransigent legitimist ... always and everywhere the champion of the hardest, narrowest and most inflexible dogmatism."

From Salon • Jul. 1, 2023

Rather than capitulate to dogmatism, she decided to withdraw from society.

From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2020

Increasingly, the major existential philosophers argued that authenticity could also be found as part of a shared project with others, but only if that project did not succumb to ideological or religious dogmatism.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

This dogmatism ignores the Law of Acceleration, as true in the domain of sociology as in that of physics, which I have touched on at the close of the preceding chapter.

From The Great Illusion A Study of the Relation of Military Power to National Advantage by Angell, Norman