9 January 2015

doctrinaire

[dok-truh-nair]

noun
1. a person who tries to apply some doctrine or theory without sufficient regard for practical considerations; an impractical theorist.
adjective
2. dogmatic about others’ acceptance of one’s ideas; fanatical:
a doctrinaire preacher.
3. merely theoretical; impractical.
4. of, relating to, or characteristic of a doctrinaire.

Origin
French
1810-1820; < French; see doctrine, -aire

Related forms
doctrinairism, noun
nondoctrinaire, adjective
overdoctrinaire, adjective
undoctrinaire, adjective

Can be confused
doctrinal, doctrinaire.

Synonyms
2. authoritarian, uncompromising, inflexible, unyielding.

Antonyms
2. reasonable, flexible.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for doctrinaire
– Neither doctrinaire socialism nor unrestricted individualism nor any other ism will bring about the millennium.
– Both of you are acting if the others belief systems are rigid, doctrinaire and utterly hopeless to approach by rational argument.
– Which shows that, when it comes to art and the doctrinaire temperament, the ends meet.

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Today’s aphorism

What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly – that is the first law of nature.

– Voltaire

On this day

9 January 1324 – death of Marco Polo, Italian explorer. Born 15 September 1254.

9 January 1944 – birth of Jimmy Page, legendary British guitarist and song-writer. Co-founder of iconic rock band, Led Zeppelin.