doctrinairism

doctrinairism

A professor dismisses a student's practical question with rigid doctrinairism.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • Rigid adherence to doctrine: "doctrinairism" refers to the practice or attitude of stubbornly adhering to a set of principles or doctrines, often without regard for practical considerations or evidence.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • His doctrinairism prevented him from considering alternative solutions to the crisis. (His rigid adherence to theory blocked practical thinking.)
    • The political party's doctrinairism alienated many moderate voters. (Their strict ideological stance drove away centrists.)
Advanced Usage
  • "doctrinairism in policy-making": The application of inflexible theoretical principles to real-world decision-making.
    • The government's doctrinairism in economic reform led to unintended consequences. (Their rigid ideology resulted in negative outcomes.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Doctrinaire (adj): strictly adhering to a theory or doctrine, often with disregard for practical realities.

    • The doctrinaire approach to education ignored students' individual needs. (The rigid theoretical method was impractical.)

  • Doctrinarianism (n): a synonym for doctrinairism; the state or practice of being doctrinaire.

    • Doctrinarianism often stifles innovation in organizations. (Rigid ideology blocks creative thinking.)
Synonyms
  • Dogmatism: the tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without considering evidence.
  • Rigidity: the quality of being inflexible or unyielding in thought or behavior.
  • Ideological inflexibility: unwillingness to adapt or compromise based on ideology.
Related Idioms

  • To be wedded to an idea: to be stubbornly attached to a particular belief or principle.

    • He was so wedded to his doctrinairism that he refused to listen to opposing views. (He was inflexibly attached to his ideology.)

  • To see things in black and white: to view issues in extreme, absolute terms without nuance, typical of doctrinairism.

    • Her doctrinairism made her see all political issues in black and white. (She lacked a nuanced perspective.)