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Edicts are few and far between in a democracy, since very few important laws can be made by a president or prime minister acting alone. But when a crisis arose in the Roman Republic, the senate would appoint a dictator, who would have the power to rule by edict. The idea was that the dictator could make decisions quickly, issuing his edicts faster than the senate could act. When the crisis was over, the edicts were canceled and the dictator usually retired from public life. Things are different today: dictators almost always install themselves in power, and they never give it up.
Examples of edict in a Sentence
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Dec. 2025
Saudi Arabia appears to be slowly and quietly rolling back its near-blanket bans on alcohol consumption, signaling perhaps another instance of the Kingdom’s strict religious edicts yielding to its push for international appeal.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Dimon has been one of the staunchest advocates for a return to the office, mandating earlier this year that most employees work onsite five days a week, an edict that’s set the tone for tougher policies across Wall Street.
—Jack Sidders, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2025
Bondi takes instant obedience to Trump’s social-media edicts as her job description.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Edict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/edict. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
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edict
noun
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