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

Again, no official decree has been handed down from Zurich, but if the stateside TV ratings are anything to go by, a few minutes of commercial intrusiveness per match certainly didn’t seem to cost Fox much in the way of viewership. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026 That decree outlines a list of requirements for the jail to improve medical and mental health care for inmates. — Theresa Clift july 17, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026

Verb

But for some reason the powers that be have decreed artificial intelligence a civilizational imperative, requiring the hurried construction of swarms of data centers, on Earth and in space. — Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 24 June 2026 In April 2022, the ATF issued a rule decreeing that ghost guns had to conform to the same regulations as regular firearms, including carrying serial numbers and requiring background checks. — Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for decree

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decree

Noun

Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse The highly agile Getty shooter Alan Crowhurst has done us a great favor by bringing concrete cloakroom evidence of the many social and administrative challenges that the (famous) Royal Ascot costume edicts require in order to be properly met.

— Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
The memorandum includes a pledge by Iran to never purchase or construct nuclear weapons — a vow the Islamic Republic has made multiple times before, including by signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, in a religious edict issued by the late supreme leader and in the Obama-era nuclear accord.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026

Definition of edict

Noun

Paramount could have opted to wait for the ruling and then immediately appeal to the 9th Circuit.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 25 July 2026
Past European rulings have firmly established that citizenship cannot be stripped away without warning, disproportionately, or all at once.

— Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

Definition of ruling

Noun

But a Canadian legislator took that idea to an embarrassing new level this week, reading an apparent LLM prompt instruction into the record during a floor speech.

— Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2026
Each specific kind of peptide carries a different instruction, explains LaValle, who is also chair of the International Peptide Society.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 24 July 2026

Definition of instruction

Noun

Two weeks earlier, Anthropic had to disable access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models to comply with an export control directive that was issued by the Commerce Department.

— Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 20 July 2026
Sachin Sharma, a deputy commissioner of police, said Wangchuk’s hospitalization was carried out following medical advice and a court directive.

— Aijaz Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026

Definition of directive

Verb

Calls have been received requesting specific information as to the location of offices in specific buildings.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
The Charlotte Observer has also requested comment from Anson County officials and the Anson County Sheriff’s Office.

— Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 25 July 2026

Definition of request

Noun

As part of the merger delay agreement, Paramount also was also able to get the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) to drop its request for a preliminary injunction, which makes Paramount’s path forward in the courts a bit cleaner.

— Rick Ellis, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
The bill was supposed to go into effect July 1, but a judge issued a preliminary injunction days before, barring enforcement in some situations, but not completely.

— Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 24 July 2026

Definition of injunction

Noun

The conspiracies of the Heat mistakenly leaking James’ decision to return to Miami also picked up steam, and the Heat simultaneously skyrocketed on the Polymarket and Kalshi prediction market platforms as James’ next team.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
Defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski said Burke’s mother, Colleen Burke, managed most of the company’s financial decisions.

— Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 22 July 2026

Definition of decision

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decreasingly

decree

decreed

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Style

“Decree.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decree. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of decree

noun

verb

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