dogma
DAWG-muh · noun
A belief or set of beliefs accepted as authoritative and not to be questioned.
Memory connection
Picture “dog, ma”
A stern dog guards a scroll marked ‘MA’S RULES—NO QUESTIONS.’ The rules are treated as unquestionable authority.
The sound cue helps you reach the scene; the action in the scene carries you from the scene to the definition.
Use it accurately
Meaning in context
The course encouraged students to examine economic assumptions rather than accept them as dogma.
Scientific conclusions must remain open to evidence instead of hardening into dogma.
Dogma can be neutral when naming official doctrine, but it often carries criticism that beliefs are rigidly accepted without examination.
Common patterns
- religious dogma
- political dogma
- challenge the dogma
Quick check
Can you retrieve the meaning?
When does a principle function as dogma?
Choose an answer, then explain it in your own words.