What does indoctrination mean?
Indoctrination is the systematic teaching of a particular ideology, religion, or set of beliefs, especially when the process is intended to make those beliefs seem authoritative or to discourage independent judgment. The word is often used in political, military, religious, and educational contexts. Unlike neutral terms such as teaching or instruction, indoctrination implies a one-sided method that may subordinate personal thought or criticism to a fixed doctrine. It can consequently carry a strongly negative connotation, particularly when describing attempts by a government, military institution, organization, or authority to condition members' attitudes. The related term brainwashing is sometimes used for a more extreme or coercive process, while propaganda refers more specifically to information designed to advance a viewpoint. In neutral historical writing, indoctrination may denote the deliberate teaching of an established body of ideas without necessarily implying malice.
nounThe process of instructing someone in a particular ideology, religion, or set of beliefs, especially persistently or in a way that discourages independent judgment.
- The persistent or forceful instruction of someone in a particular ideology, religion, or set of beliefs, especially when independent judgment is discouraged.
- The teaching of a doctrine or system of beliefs to another person or group.
"The organization rejected claims that its schools practiced ideological indoctrination."
"The recruits underwent weeks of ideological indoctrination before deployment."
"She warned that the course had become an exercise in indoctrination rather than genuine education."
Rare; the word is normally used in the singular or uncountably.
"The study compared several forms of ideological indoctrination in the region."
Indoctrination is instruction with an agenda: teaching a doctrine not merely as a subject, but as a way of seeing the world.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does indoctrination come from?
The noun was formed in English in the early 17th century from the verb indoctrinate and the suffix -ation. Its central element comes through Latin doctrina, meaning “teaching” or “doctrine,” ultimately from Greek doktron, associated with teaching or a doctrine. Related English words include doctrine and doctrinal, while dogma and dogmatic belong to the same wider Greek root.
Related word forms
How indoctrination is actually used
The term is commonly formal and strongly evaluative. It usually suggests one-sided or coercive teaching that suppresses critical thought, rather than ordinary instruction, although some writers use it more neutrally for the systematic teaching of a doctrine.
Easily confused with indoctrination
Indoctrination describes shaping or conditioning someone's beliefs, whereas propaganda primarily denotes information or media intended to promote a particular viewpoint.