I. ˈdäktrə̇n ə l, Brit often & US sometimes däkˈtrīn ə l noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from doctrinal, adj
1. obsolete : a manual of instruction
2. doctrinals plural , archaic : matters of doctrine or instruction
II. ˈdäktrə̇n ə l, Brit often & US sometimes (ˈ)däk|trīn ə l adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin doctrinalis, from Latin doctrina teaching + -alis -al
1.
a. : of, relating to, or preoccupied with doctrine
quibbling and hairsplitting over doctrinal minutiae
Milton was a doctrinal poet — Douglas Bush
b. : containing or involving something taught and to be believed
those who seek doctrinal support of spending now turn to the statistics of national income — H.L.Lutz
2. obsolete : relating to teaching : didactic
• doc·tri·nal·ly - ə lē, - ə li adverb