theology
Americannoun
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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.
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a particular form, system, branch, or course of this study.
noun
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the systematic study of the existence and nature of the divine and its relationship to and influence upon other beings
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a specific branch of this study, undertaken from the perspective of a particular group
feminist theology
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the systematic study of Christian revelation concerning God's nature and purpose, esp through the teaching of the Church
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a specific system, form, or branch of this study, esp for those preparing for the ministry or priesthood
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing theology
Power Suffix: -ology
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World Religions
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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.
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
We are queer Christians who have spent decades studying theology.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
But here is where the new theology diverges most sharply from the old.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
“Leo sees the challenge of AI as a choice about its design, and about who gets to make those choices,” said Vincent Miller, a professor of theology at the University of Dayton, Ohio.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
He and Emma read and discussed books about theology.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
