Synonyms

indoctrination

American

[in-dok-truh-ney-shuhn] / ɪnˌdɒk trəˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

the act of indoctrinating, or teaching or inculcating a doctrine, principle, or ideology, especially one with a specific point of view.

religious indoctrination.

Other Word Forms

reindoctrination noun

Etymology

Origin of indoctrination

indoctrin(ate) + -ation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The military had four major departments overseeing operations, arms procurement, logistics and indoctrination, and seven major “military regions,” each operating like independent fiefs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Due to their early indoctrination, she believes they will be even more hardline than their fathers.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2025

The rationale is that there should be no condition, such as religious indoctrination or required sobriety, on a homeless person receiving housing.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

Everyone has to agree, it's really been drummed into us — and I went to business school, I've been through this indoctrination process — that everyone works for the shareholder.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2025

He might be testing me, to see how deep my indoctrination had really gone.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023