dogmatic
dog-MAT-ik
/dɒɡˈmæt.ɪk/
Asserting opinions in an opinionated, authoritative, and unbending manner without offering proof or considering other views.
Connotes rigid stubbornness based on fixed doctrine or personal arrogance.
The story behind the word. From Ancient Greek 'dogma' (what seems good, a decree or opinion), derived from 'dokein' (to think or seem). In ancient philosophy, a dogma was simply a settled philosophical opinion. Over centuries, particularly through theological usage, it came to mean a rule that must be accepted without question, giving 'dogmatic' its modern negative tint of rigid arrogance.
Word relationships
- doctrinaire: 'Doctrinaire' implies stubborn adherence to an abstract theoretical system, whereas 'dogmatic' implies arrogant, unyielding assertion of belief.
- opinionated: 'Opinionated' is informal and applies to personal views, while 'dogmatic' often references structured beliefs or ideological stances.
- open-minded: Willing to consider new ideas and change views based on evidence.
- flexible: Adaptable in thinking and open to compromise.
Commonly confused with
- pragmatic: 'Pragmatic' means guided by practical results, whereas 'dogmatic' means guided by unyielding, fixed rules or beliefs.
Word family
- dogma (noun): A principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertible truth.
- dogmatist (noun): A dogmatic person.
- dogmatism (noun): The tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true.
Collocations
- dogmatic refusal
- dogmatic belief
- dogmatic assertion
- dogmatic approach
Example sentences
- "The professor's dogmatic insistence on his own interpretation stifled any constructive debate in the seminar." Philosophical debate
Memory hook
DOGmatic: think of a stubborn DOG that refuses to move off its spot no matter what you say! DOGMATIC = barked assertions with zero flexibility.
When not to use
Do not use to describe someone who is merely confident or assertive based on strong empirical evidence.
Fun facts
- Immanuel Kant famously declared that reading David Hume woke him from his 'dogmatic slumber', inspiring his greatest philosophical work.
Related words
Explore more words
dogma, dogmatism, bigotry, unequivocal, absolutism, sectarian
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