Dogma Meaning
/ˈdɒɡ.mə/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn authoritative principle, belief or statement of opinion, especially one considered to be absolutely true and indisputable, regardless of evidence or without evidence to support it.
nounA doctrine (or set of doctrines) relating to matters such as morality and faith, set forth authoritatively by a religious organization or leader.
Sentence Examples
This dogma is rather a paradox.
Loving, of enemies is another dogma of feigned morality, and has besides no meaning.
His dogma forbids that he eats fish during Passover.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The scientist challenged the prevailing ____ with her empirical evidence.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
This ____ is rather a paradox.
Word Origin & History
From Latin dogma (“philosophical tenet”), from Ancient Greek δόγμα (dógma, “opinion, tenet”), from δοκέω (dokéō, “to seem good, think”). Treated in the 17th and 18th century as Greek, with plural dogmata. Compare decent.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"If he has a dogma, i.e. a scientifico-philosophical theory, then he is not any sort of Skeptic, not even an urbane Skeptic."
— 2015, Tad Brennan, Ethics and Epistemology in Sextus Empiricus:
"According to that Cabaliſticall Dogma: If Abram had not had this Letter [i.e., ה (he)] added unto his Name he had remained fruitleſſe, and without the power of generation: […] So that being ſterill before, he received the power of generation from that meaſure and manſion in the Archetype; and was made conformable unto Binah."
— 1658, Thomas Browne, “The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter V.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, page 192:
"Other foreign terms have become so thoroughly Anglicised as to adopt English plurals, and it is sometimes difficult to decide whether the English or the original foreign form is the more correct. None but a pedant would speak of ‘the chori of an opera,’ ‘the croci in a garden,’ or ‘the dogmata of the church;’ […]"
— [a. 1881, William B[allantyne] Hodgson, “Noun”, in Errors in the Use of English, Edinburgh: David Douglas, published 1881, part II (Accidence), page 70:
"The man who thinks that his religion is the sum-total of the religious dogmas he believes in, who thinks that to live in harmony with the allhood of things it requires only that one subscribe to certain prescribed religious dogmas, in whose mind the means of salvation is simply frequency and fervency of prayer, assiduity and fidelity of attendance on worship, — in the case of that man his so-called religion is just as apt as not to become an actual aid to immorality, for it is not religion at all, but purblind, self-righteous Pharisaism."
— 1909, Nicholas Murray Butler, Frank Pierrepont Graves, Charles Alexander Nelson, Educational Review - Volume 37, page 383:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The scientist challenged the prevailing ____ with her empirical evidence.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
This ____ is rather a paradox.