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Definition of "doctrinaire" [doc•tri•naire]

  • A person inflexibly attached to a practice or theory without regard to its practicality. (noun)
  • Of, relating to, or characteristic of a person inflexibly attached to a practice or theory. See Synonyms at dictatorial. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "doctrinaire" in a sentence
  • "The word doctrinaire -- word full of terror to the British mind -- reappeared from time to time between his explosions."
  • "None of them can fairly be described as doctrinaire: by that time an artist with a pronounced taste for abstractions betook himself to Cubism almost as a matter of course."
  • "He lamented that since the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine, "Pacifica has also become more partisan and far more doctrinaire, which is a real shame, as the original mission of the network was firmly in line with the intent of the Fairness Doctrine, in that, Pacifica wanted to present all viewpoints on the network.""