Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DOGMATIC

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pronounce DOGMATIC: Say it "dog MAD ick." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: Our word dogmatic traces back to the Greek word for "opinion." So does our word p___dox, which first meant "(something) that contradicts (your) opinion" but today means "something that contradicts itself." Can you recall that one? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)   definition: You can trace our words "dogma" and "dogmatic" back to a Greek one meaning "opinion," or more literally, "something that someone thinks is true or good." Since the 1500s, we've used some form of the word "dogma" in English (pronounced "DOG muh"--hear it here) to mean "a belief, or an opinion, or a whole system or collection of beliefs or opinions," especially an arrogant one, and/or a religious one. (To call a belief "arrogant" is really to call the believer arrogant: he or she is telling you that you must believe, and that you can't question the belief or disagree with it, even if there's no proof for it or no good reason to believe it.) And so, dogmatic people and things are annoying and arrogant because they act as if their own beliefs or opinions are the only real, true ones and that no one is allowed to question them or disbelieve them. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Adjective: "He comes across as pushy and dogmatic;" "She posts all these dogmatic quotes." Other forms:  Dogma(s), dogmatically, dogmatism, dogmatist(s). how to use it: "Dogmatic" is a common, formal word with a harsh, negative tone.  You might talk about dogmatic people and their dogmatic rules, beliefs, opinions, attitudes, comments, thinking, teaching, philosophies, etc. examples: "His attractive qualities of bluntness and loyalty are offset by... a dogmatic attachment to some pretty dubious ideas. He is convinced that the war can be won and that he is the man who can win it."    — A. O. Scott, New York Times, 25 May 2017 "What followers of a genius aren't dogmatic, for heaven's sake? The Freudians have plenty to be dogmatic about. Freud was a genius."    — Chaim Potok, The Chosen, 1967    has this page helped you understand "dogmatic"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "dogmatic" without saying "obstinate" or "dictative." try it out: In an op-ed for the Seattle Times, Kent P. Hickey wrote: "All of us are susceptible to the allure of dogmatism, the belief that our way is the only way, our cause the only cause." Talk about what he means, and whether you agree or disagree. There's actually a lot to unpack here! Do you agree with how he's defined "dogmatism"? Do you agree that dogmatism is alluring? Do you agree that everybody drifts toward dogmatism? If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game for this month is MYP Wordles! You're likely familiar with the popular new game Wordle, created by Josh Wardle and recently purchased by the New York Times. You can play the real Wordle each day here. It's fun, simple, and addictive. You try to guess the five-letter word. Each time you guess, you see how close you are: a green box means you've gotten the right letter in the right spot; a yellow box means you've gotten a letter that's in the word but in the wrong spot; a gray box means you've guessed a letter that isn't in the word at all.  There's only one real Wordle every day. But luckily for us, the good folks at StriveMath.com have created a copycat Wordle tool, so you can play as many Wordles as you want, and even create and share your own. So, in each issue this month, try the MYP Wordle linked below. The answer will be a word we've studied. I'll give a series of hints that you can reveal if you choose to. If you can't figure out the answer, you can let the puzzle reveal it, or you can scroll all the way down. Enjoy! Click here to play today's MYP Wordle. If you need some hints, highlight the hidden white text below.    The letter it starts with is… F    The vowels it includes are… U and Y    The part of speech is… adjective    The definition is… smelling gross in a damp, moldy, or dusty way; or, old-fashioned in a stale, boring way review this word: 1. A near opposite of DOGMATIC is A. FELINE. B. MANUAL. C. OPEN-MINDED. 2. In context, the word "dogmatic" is likely to be followed by a word like _____ A. "color," "design," or "intricacy." B. "tenet," "certainty," or "rigidity." C. "cogs," "precision," or "efficiency." Answers to the review questions: 1. C 2. B Answer to the MYP Wordle: Fusty. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.