doctrinaire
doctrinaire — adjective
- doctrinairepositive
- more doctrinairecomparative
- most doctrinairesuperlative
1. sticking firmly to a set of ideas or rules in every situation, even when they cl
sticking firmly to a set of ideas or rules in every situation, even when they clearly do not work in real life or when other people object
The new principal took a doctrinaire approach, banning all phones without listening to a single teacher.
doctrinaire + noun: doctrinaire approach / stance / view
Adina found the committee too doctrinaire to accept any plan that broke from its old rules.
too doctrinaire to + infinitive for inflexible refusal
A doctrinaire economist, Hari rejected every figure that did not fit his pet theory.
The party's doctrinaire leaders refused to soften the policy, even after the factories closed.
Caleb dismissed the proposal in a doctrinaire tone, quoting rules instead of weighing the real costs.
- dogmatic
very close; stresses stating opinions as if they cannot be questioned
- rigid
broader; about any unwillingness to bend, not only about theories
- inflexible
plainer everyday word for the same refusal to adapt
用法筆記
Almost always disapproving: it marks someone as putting theory above what actually works. Frequently modifies abstract nouns like approach, stance, view, and politics.
常見錯誤
doctrinaire — noun
1. someone who insists on applying a theory or set of beliefs to everything, paying
someone who insists on applying a theory or set of beliefs to everything, paying little attention to whether it actually fits the real problem
As a doctrinaire, Elena forced her budget plan onto every town, ignoring how poor they were.
as a doctrinaire: labelling a person by their rigid mindset
The minister was a doctrinaire who would not bend his policy even when the harvest failed.
subject complement: be a doctrinaire who...
Karim argued like a doctrinaire, treating one old book as the answer to every modern question.
Voters grew tired of doctrinaires who blamed their theories rather than admit a single mistake.
- pragmatist
person who decides by what works rather than by theory
用法筆記
Far rarer than the adjective and limited to formal writing about politics or ideas. Distinguish from the adjective sense by the article or plural form (a doctrinaire, the doctrinaires).