Meaning

noun an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation

noun imaginary or visionary theorization

originBorrowed from French idéologie, from idéo- + -logie (equivalent to English ideo- + -logy). Cognate with, but not derived from, idea. Coined 1796 by Antoine Destutt de Tracy. Modern sense of “doctrine” attributed to use of related idéologue (“ideologue”) by Napoleon Bonaparte as a term of abuse towards political opponents in early 1800s.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0