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

The court said: "The family strongly support the provision of religious education provided it does not amount to indoctrination."

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

This means defending the university not as a corporate entity or site of theocratic indoctrination but as a democratic commons.

From Salon • Jun. 29, 2025

The discomfort may not necessarily seek to compel indoctrination, but it does erase the existence of lives, truths, and histories some would rather forget or disappear.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2025

If I ran a high school, I would include stuff like this in the first-day indoctrination.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

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