dogma
dogma Lexical Profile
dogma Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.
"Scientific inquiry requires researchers to question established dogma when new empirical evidence emerges."
An official teaching or article of faith authoritatively proclaimed by a religious body or church as a truth essential to salvation.
"The council convened for months to debate and codify the official dogma of the early church."
Word Nuance & Usage
While neutral in formal religious contexts where it denotes official church doctrine, in secular or political discourse 'dogma' carries a negative connotation of rigid, uncritical adherence to unexamined beliefs.
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Late Latin from Ancient Greek 'dogma' (meaning 'opinion, tenet, or decree'), derived from the verb 'dokein' ('to seem good' or 'to think'), which shares a root with 'orthodox' and 'paradox'.