theology

American  

[thee-ol-uh-jee] / θiˈɒl ə dʒi /

noun

• theologies
  plural

1. the field of study and analysis that treats of God and of God's attributes and relations to the universe; study of divine things or religious truth; divinity.

2. a particular form, system, branch, or course of this study.

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theology British  

/ θɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the systematic study of the existence and nature of the divine and its relationship to and influence upon other beings

2. a specific branch of this study, undertaken from the perspective of a particular group

   feminist theology

3. the systematic study of Christian revelation concerning God's nature and purpose, esp through the teaching of the Church

4. a specific system, form, or branch of this study, esp for those preparing for the ministry or priesthood

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theology Cultural  

1. The disciplined study of religious questions, such as the nature of God, sin, and salvation (see also salvation).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• theologist
  noun
• antitheology
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• theologies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of theology

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English theologie, from Old French, from Late Latin theologia, from Greek theología; equivalent to theo- + -logy

Explanation

Theology is the study of religion, plain and simple. Of course, religion isn’t simple, so theology covers a lot of subjects, like rituals, divine beings, the history of religions, and the concept of religious truth. Theology is taught to priests and ministers so they can better understand their religion, and it’s also taught in non-religious colleges to anyone who is curious about the ideas and effects of religion. The first half of theology is theo-, which means god in Greek. The suffix -logy means “the study of,” so theology literally means “the study of god," but we usually expand it to mean the study of religion more broadly.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

theology theologies

We don’t share the same theology, and we didn’t inherit the same cultural story.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Public school teachers are trained to teach literacy, history and social studies, not theology, leaving educators to navigate how biblical texts will be presented while serving students from diverse religious backgrounds.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

There’s a lot of theology in it, actually.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

It’s the kind of idea that exorcists playing loose with theology might be attracted to, but not something the church itself seems inclined to back.

From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026

And in Mercerism, as it evolved into a full theology, the concept of The Killers had grown insidiously.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Visually, “Sun Ra: Do the Impossible” strives to be a representation of its subject’s floating collage of philosophies, theologies and ecstatic musical aspirations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

"I fully respect those who have different theologies from mine but I don't respect misogyny when I encounter it and I think it's good that we are seen publicly in these roles."

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2023

These secular theologies provide coordinates of transcendental meaning—even if that meaning is life-denying and humanity-debasing—that explain the place of human beings on the Earth, and ultimately, in the cosmos.

From Slate ● Jan. 26, 2023

This religiosity was effective in part because it avoided the messy specifics that might have created friction with science or between theologies.

From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2022

Indeed, these sodalities of the Lebanons are not what their vows and ascetic theologies would make them.

From The Book of Khalid by Ameen Fares Rihani

Related Words

• belief
• creed
• doctrine
• dogma
• faith