VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

theological

adjective·Academicformal

Last updated

UK/ˌθiː.əˈlɒdʒ.ɪ.kəl/
US/ˌθiː.əˈlɑː.dʒɪ.kəl/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a nounformal

    Concerned with the careful study of God, faith and religious teaching.

    Grammar: Usually placed before a noun: a theological debate.

    Patterns

    • theological debate
    • theological college

    The two scholars disagreed over a fine theological point.

    She is training for the priesthood at a theological college.

    The book offers a theological reading of the poem.

  2. adjectivebefore a nounformal

    Having to do with the beliefs or doctrines of a particular religion, often when they are argued about.

    Grammar: Often used with words like difference, question or dispute.

    Patterns

    • theological differences

    The split between the churches began as a theological dispute.

    Their theological differences were never resolved.

Common combinations

theological debate
The council held a long theological debate over the creed.
theological college
He completed his degree at a theological college.
theological question
Children sometimes ask surprisingly deep theological questions.
theological training
Her theological training lasted four years.
theological implications
The discovery had theological implications for many believers.

Synonyms and how they differ

religious
Religious is far broader, describing faith or practice in general, while theological points to formal study and argument about doctrine.
doctrinal
Doctrinal focuses on official teachings of a church, whereas theological includes the wider study behind them.
divine
Divine means of or from God, and does not describe the academic study of religion.

Opposites

secular

Word family

theology noun
the study of God and religious belief
theologian noun
an expert in theology
theologically adverb
in a way relating to theology
theologize verb
to reason about religious questions

Commonly confused: theological or ideological? theological or biological?

theological vs ideological

Ideological relates to systems of political or social ideas, while theological relates to religion and God.

theological vs biological

Biological relates to living things and life science, so it is not interchangeable with theological.

Practice

The church leaders met to settle a ___ disagreement about the meaning of baptism.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “theological”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words