variants
also dictums
as in doctrines
formal
a statement or well-known remark that expresses an important idea, observation, or opinion
A doctor must follow the dictum of "First, do no harm."
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dicta
Noun
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Those in support of the bill argue that the Bible's teachings informed the nation's core doctrines, and that the Ten Commandments offer needed moral reinforcement for schoolchildren.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
27 Jan. 2026 -
Legal challenges to constitutional doctrines underpinning the modern American administrative state wend their way through increasingly sympathetic courts, promising sweeping changes to the ways our most important institutions act.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There are rules about a team winning too often, and the Hawks have picked in the top three for three straight years.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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But talking about identity has ever-shifting rules and hierarchies that amount to bear-traps that can spring at any time.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The deregulatory agenda, the most significant since President Ronald Reagan’s, has begun to liberate households and businesses from the dictates of Washington’s bureaucracy.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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The Institute for Postnatural Studies does not aim to conform to the dictates of traditional academia, as its name might imply.—
Catherine Taft,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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His preference would be to find simpler axioms for quantum mechanics — intuitive principles that would let theorists re-derive the theory in a new form altogether.—
Daniel Garisto,
Quanta Magazine,
7 Nov. 2025
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In other words, as Cleveland tore through the league last season, the players responded to most of the milestones reached with a collective shrug and worn axioms about nothing mattering until the playoffs.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While that is the standard that would be considered in a civil case, local investigators are also looking into whether any state laws were violated.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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This happens because of several factors, including changes in tax laws, annual IRS inflation adjustments and more.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Maybe anyone planning long journeys should take those maxims as advice anyhow.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The rest of the book is spent expanding on these maxims one by one, in her colloquial, easy style, with references to classic psychological studies, her own research and her own experiences.—
Lamorna Ash,
The Dial,
25 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The surveys show widespread skepticism that governments can really fix problems like the affordability crisis, rising inequality, declining upward mobility, and stagnating or declining living standards.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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Tesla’s questionable qualifications To qualify for a voucher, manufacturers must obtain a zero-emission powertrain certification showing the vehicle meets certain performance standards.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The update introduces a unified control plane that ties together silicon, systems, optics, and software across on-premises and cloud environments.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
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Mike Dvorak returned to play the accordion and strolled the event premises while singing about the Cocoa Crawl.—
Karie Angell Luc,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dicta.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dicta. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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