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."
Related Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dicta
Noun
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If America is to preserve its liberty, conservative legal scholars and judges will need to adjust to a new reality and revisit doctrines that no longer serve to protect the constitutional structure.—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026 -
When citizens insist on shaping the basic terms of social life by appealing to premises that others cannot reasonably be expected to accept—revelation, doctrines of transcendence, private moral visions—the result is not a purer politics but a dangerously brittle one.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The vast majority are honorable and conform their actions to the rules.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Portofino, on Italy's other coast, added new rules to manage the behavior of those already there.—
Seth Doane,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Noun
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Regulatory prescription shapes the work itself—banking’s SR 11-7 dictates model risk management in detail, while retail has almost no sector-specific AI regulation.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
-
The project’s financing dictates that the market-rate tower has separate ownership from the affordable segment, Kingston said.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Moreover, any consistent system must also be incomplete, meaning that there are true mathematical statements that cannot be proved using the system’s axioms.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
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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
-
Becerra proposes to require cities and counties to approve or deny building permits within 90 days, loosening certain regulations for infill projects and reforming construction defect laws to encourage more construction of entry-level condos.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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The proposal would allow NYC a pilot program requiring the installation of technology that detects speed, and slows drivers down, particularly those who have a long rap sheet of breaking speeding laws.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Noun
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By now, decades into Americans’ pursuit of cooking as a mainstream hobby, certain maxims have become near-law among food lovers.—
Emily Heil,
Washington Post,
25 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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The Joint Commission, widely regarded as the gold standard in health care, evaluates organizations through rigorous and often unannounced inspections, ensuring that patient care, safety protocols, and clinical operations consistently meet the highest standards.—
Ascend Agency,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
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Today, some of the most beloved musicals of the American theater can sometimes seem outmoded and vaguely inappropriate, since society’s standards have changed radically in the last 60 years.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Ensure your home is securely locked when vacating the premises.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Apr. 2026
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Ensure your home is securely locked when vacating the premises.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dicta.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dicta. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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