orthopraxy

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UK/ˈɔːθəˌpɹæksi/US/ˈoɹθəˌpɹæksi/

noun

Correctness of practice or action in regard to religion and especially religious ritual, particularly in juxtaposition to "correct doctrine", or "correct belief" (that is, "orthodoxy").

Scrabble 25

Meanings

nounorthopraxy (countable and uncountable, plural orthopraxies)

plural orthopraxies

  1. countableuncountableCorrectness of practice or action in regard to religion and especially religious ritual, particularly in juxtaposition to "correct doctrine", or "correct belief" (that is, "orthodoxy").
    1 more example

    At times, the powerful forces for change threaten traditional values, and religious communities may hold tightly to an orthopraxy in order to maintain traditional values. At other times, orthopraxy evolves along with community acceptance of new realities and values, as in the loosening of regulations on drinking and card playing among American Methodists in the mid-twentieth century or the changes in Catholicism following Vatican II. An earlier example of this is the acceptance of married clergy among Pure Land Buddhists in Japan[.]

    2005, Encyclopedia of Religion, page 6919
  2. countableuncountableRight belief combined with right practice, with the emphasis on the latter, often in Latin American liberation theology, contrasting with an orthodoxy seen as insufficiently interested in the practical and political content of faith.

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

A modern, nineteenth century derivation mimicking that of Ancient Greek ὀρθοδοξία (orthodoxía), using the stems of ὀρθός (orthós, “correct”) + πρᾶξις (prâxis, “action, deed; conduct, practice”), and the English suffix -y creating abstract nouns.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

orthopraxy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orthopraxy

MLA

“orthopraxy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orthopraxy. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orthopraxy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orthopraxy.

Source: orthopraxy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.