theological

theological — adjective

1. concerning ideas about God, religious faith, and the meaning of spiritual life,

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

concerning ideas about God, religious faith, and the meaning of spiritual life, especially when studied in an academic or formal way.

Example

The professor's theological arguments drew on centuries of Christian tradition.

attributive use before noun: theological + argument

Kenji decided to study theological texts from Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.

Common collocations
  • theological debate
  • theological argument
  • theological text
  • theological training
  • theological perspective
  • theological question
  • theological study
Synonyms
  • doctrinal

    narrower — focuses specifically on official teachings or doctrines of a church, not the broader academic study

  • religious

    broader — covers personal belief, practice, and institutions, not just academic study

  • divine

    different register — describes something coming from or relating to God, not the study of religion

  • scriptural

    narrower — based specifically on sacred writings rather than systematic theological analysis

Antonyms
  • secular

    not connected with religious or spiritual matters

Grammar Patterns

theological + noun (theological debate, theological question)

be + theological (his argument is theological)

Usage Note

Primarily used in academic or formal contexts. When describing someone's personal faith, the adjective 'religious' is more appropriate. Theological refers specifically to the systematic or scholarly study of religion rather than to personal belief.

Common Mistakes

She has strong theological beliefs about God.
She has strong religious beliefs about God.
'theological' relates to the academic study of faith, not to a person's own faith.

Word family

  • theology
    nounB2
  • theologian
    nounC1
  • theologically
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Theological is the broadest of the five when referring to the academic or systematic study of faith. Doctrinal is narrower — it concerns the official teachings of a particular church or denomination (e.g., 'a doctrinal dispute over baptism'). Religious is the most general, covering personal belief, worship, and institutions as well as scholarship. Scriptural is limited to what is found in sacred texts ('a scriptural basis for the practice'). Divine shifts focus entirely, describing the nature or quality of God rather than the study of faith ('divine love'). A theological debate might draw on scriptural passages and explore doctrinal positions, but the word theological signals an academic framework that goes beyond any single source.

theological ↗doctrinalreligious ↗scripturaldivine ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • theological point of view
  • theological college
  • theological seminary

Prepositions

  • in (in theological terms)
  • from (from a theological viewpoint)

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

From Greek theologia (theos 'god' + -logia 'discourse, study'), via Latin theologia, then through French théologique. First recorded in English in the 15th century, originally referring to the study of sacred scripture and Christian doctrine, later broadened to cover the systematic study of any religion.