doctrine
- 01 C1 Advanced
a stated principle of government policy, especially in international relations.
a principle of government policy, particularly one relating to foreign affairs or military strategy.
Simple“The president announced a new doctrine to protect the country's borders.”
In context“The Monroe Doctrine significantly influenced American foreign policy for decades by asserting that European powers should not interfere in the Americas.”
UsageFrequently capitalized when referring to a specific historical policy named after a leader.
“These changes were guided by a legal doctrine known as cy pres , which requires that any changes to a foundation’s mission have to adhere as closely as possible to the donor’s original intent.”
“In early America, Quakers, respecting “the doctrine of simplicity,” held a generally negative view of the fine arts and art education , writes Erin E.”
From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin doctrina (“teaching, instruction, learning, knowledge”), from doctor (“a teacher”), from docere (“to teach”); see doctor.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.