doctrinaire

[ dok-truh-nair ]

/ ˈdɒk trəˈnɛər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR doctrinaire ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who tries to apply some doctrine or theory without sufficient regard for practical considerations; an impractical theorist.

adjective

dogmatic about others' acceptance of one's ideas; fanatical: a doctrinaire preacher.

merely theoretical; impractical.

of, relating to, or characteristic of a doctrinaire.

Origin of doctrinaire

From French, dating back to 1810–20; see origin at doctrine, -aire

SYNONYMS FOR doctrinaire

2 authoritarian, uncompromising, inflexible, unyielding.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR doctrinaire ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR doctrinaire

2 reasonable, flexible.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR doctrinaire ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM doctrinaire

doc·tri·nair·ism, noun non·doc·tri·naire, adjective o·ver·doc·tri·naire, adjective un·doc·tri·naire, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH doctrinaire

doctrinal doctrinaire

Words nearby doctrinaire

doctor's degree, doctorate, doctorfish, doctorow, doctorspeak, doctrinaire, doctrinal, doctrine, doctrine of descent, docu-soap, docudrama

Example sentences from the Web for doctrinaire

Bachmann is so doctrinaire she seems unlikely to be a serious contender in the general election.

Michele, You’re No Reagan |Jack W. Germond |July 11, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
In this selective narrative, the only path to truth is doctrinaire conservatism.

Glenn Beck Declares War |John Avlon |February 20, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
Hatch pushed for justices from the “mainstream” rather than “doctrinaire liberals.”

Naming the Obama Court |Scott Horton |February 8, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
To the Doctrinaire there seems something sordid and vulgar in the anxiety to make the two ends—theory and practice—meet.

By the Christmas Fire |Samuel McChord Crothers

It will gain in utility and grace what it loses in pride, ambition, and doctrinaire pedantry.

God and the State |Mikhail Aleksandrovich Bakunin
They were revolutionary Marxists—doctrinaire to the bone—saturated with the dialectic.

The I.W.W. |Paul Frederick Brissenden
The Doctrinaire is like a mason who has mixed his cement before he is ready to use it.

By the Christmas Fire |Samuel McChord Crothers
The original instrument was not only democratic in tone, but doctrinaire.

The Governments of Europe |Frederic Austin Ogg

British Dictionary definitions for doctrinaire

doctrinaire

/ (ˌdɒktrɪˈnɛə) /

adjective

stubbornly insistent on the observation of the niceties of a theory, esp without regard to practicality, suitability, etc

theoretical; impractical

noun

a person who stubbornly attempts to apply a theory without regard to practical difficulties

Derived forms of doctrinaire

doctrinairism or doctrinarism, noun doctrinarian, noun

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

doctrinaire

noun

adjective

Origin of doctrinaire

SYNONYMS FOR doctrinaire

ANTONYMS FOR doctrinaire

OTHER WORDS FROM doctrinaire

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH doctrinaire

Words nearby doctrinaire

Example sentences from the Web for doctrinaire

British Dictionary definitions for doctrinaire

adjective

noun

Derived forms of doctrinaire

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

doctrinaire

noun

adjective

Origin of doctrinaire

SYNONYMS FOR doctrinaire

ANTONYMS FOR doctrinaire

OTHER WORDS FROM doctrinaire

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH doctrinaire

Words nearby doctrinaire

Words related to doctrinaire

Example sentences from the Web for doctrinaire

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for doctrinaire

adjective

noun

Derived forms of doctrinaire

British Dictionary definitions for doctrinaire