DECREE Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

decree 1 of 2

noun

di-ˈkrē

Definition of decree

as in edict

a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned the boss doesn't give out many decrees, but he does expect those that are issued to be fully obeyed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in ruling

an order publicly issued by an authority a decree issued by the state's supreme court to the legislature

Synonyms & Similar Words

decree

2 of 2

verb

as in to order

to request the doing of by virtue of one's authority the new supervisor decreed that thenceforth coffee breaks would have a 15-minute limit

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of decree

Noun

The decree renames one of the four Great Lakes, while providing a legal and philosophical justification for the act. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026 Under a presidential decree published on the presidential website on Wednesday, Musk was awarded the Order of Freedom. — Reuters, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026

Verb

Their forbidden love leads the Jade Emperor to decree their separation on opposite sides of the Milky Way. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 What if, God forbid, a fascist government decreed that unmarried people could have sex on just one night of the year? — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for decree

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decree

Noun

The film by and large follows the edicts of Iranian neorealism, with unobtrusive observations and a naturalistic soundscape.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Last week, OutKick explained how Magnus undermined his own edict and vision by hiring back Stan Verrett to host a throwaway show on NFL Network.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of edict

Noun

Some told the Miami Herald that the ruling blocks the path to asylum and that the cases cannot be evaluated in a vacuum.

— Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
The ruling blocked Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins from conducting the election using the new map.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruling

Verb

Earlier this year, Johnson ordered Chicago police to collect evidence for possible felony charges against agents.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Dialogue comes from recordings with native speakers, and lessons focus on real-world scenarios like ordering food or navigating an airport instead of vocabulary drills.

— StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of order

Noun

Anthropic has already experienced such treatment, getting blacklisted by the Department of Defense earlier this year, and then in June being ordered by the government to disable access to two models to comply with an export control directive.

— Lora Kolodny,Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Following the unveiling of the already impressive prototype in 2017, the storied CEO is said to have given Tesla engineers a directive that the car had to be able to fly, delaying its production by years.

— Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of directive

Verb

But hey, this is a girl who requested that her college graduation gift be a trip to see the HOF in Canton.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Under such a contract, customers (like the Navy) will request Seasat to supply the boats, launch them, maintain them, operate the autonomous system, and presumably provide the sensor/data service.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of request

Noun

Wright and Harris are among about 20 former college athletes granted a temporary injunction by a Louisiana judge Thursday night.

— Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
On Thursday, plaintiffs were granted a preliminary injunction by Judge William Jorden of the 19th District Court of Louisiana that allows them to be rostered by different schools for the upcoming season.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of injunction

Noun

Rådström, a Swede, was surprised by the layers of hierarchy at the German company and the sheer volume of decisions that crossed her desk as CEO.

— Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2026
The session ended with the decision on de Moraes postponed possibly until mid-December.

— MAURICIO SAVARESE, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of decision

Browse Nearby Words

decreasingly

decree

decreed

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Decree.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decree. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of decree

noun

verb

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