Synonyms of dictates

dictates 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of dictate

as in orders

to request the doing of by virtue of one's authority

dictated that the terms of surrender be negotiated by his senior staff

Synonyms & Similar Words

• orders
• requests
• requires
• mandates
• asks
• directs
• demands
• decrees
• calls for
• ordains
• commands
• calls
• petitions

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cancels
• rescinds
• countermands

dictates

2 of 2

noun

plural of dictate

as in instructions

a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned

a starchily worded dictate from on high concerning the company's dress code

Synonyms & Similar Words

• instructions
• edicts
• orders
• directives
• directions
• dos
• commandments
• injunctions
• requirements
• decrees
• commands
• imperatives
• words
• demands
• charges
• behests
• mandates
• rules
• laws
• regulations
• precepts
• statutes
• countermands
• ordinances
• prescriptions
• prescripts
• counterorders

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• appeals
• recommendations
• petitions
• pleas
• urgings
• proposals
• entreaties
• suggestions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dictates

Verb

Protocol dictates that the family of the deceased later send return gifts that are worth half the value of the cash gift that was given. — Mimi Hanaoka, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026

Cade Cunningham is the leader of this team, and his health pretty much dictates how well this team will do. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Though, of course, because Larry is Larry (and therefore governed by a peculiar physics that dictates that every step forward be followed by two in reverse), his year at SNL would prove to be far from a rosy adventure. — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026

Your appearance dictates much of how people treat and respond to you. — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2026

The most recent 10-year plan that dictates water allocation among the seven basin states, tribal nations, and Mexico expires at the end of this year. — Story Hinckley, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026

Army regulation dictates that at least two media outlets should be selected to witness the execution. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

This unique propagation gives rise to wave trajectories with directional rotation, or handedness, which dictates whether paths rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026

Logic dictates that Sony would have some sort of access to premium large-format screens during a quiet time at the box office. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026

Noun

The walls are built of limestone blocks neither as large nor as narrow as tradition dictates. — Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026

As Stephen Sondheim teaches us, (forgettable) content dictates (forgettable) form. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026

Nacua is in the final year of his rookie contract, and his on-field play dictates he be paid upward of $40 million per year. — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026

At the heart of Wang’s vision for WWM is a model where the public dictates which stories are worth further exploration. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026

The individual sensibilities of people who directed them were subordinated to dictates of the franchise. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

But rather than riding on the top of the mikoshi, or portable Shinto shrine, as tradition dictates, the heavily pregnant Kawata walked behind it. — Reuters, NBC news, 20 July 2026

Starting next week, a 30-member task force will begin reviewing 24 proposals for a cut of Orange County’s Tourist Development Tax proceeds, which state law dictates must generally be used to promote tourism. — Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026

The difference is the true deficit, as the Legislature’s nonpartisan budget analyst Gabe Petek sees it — and as common sense dictates. — Dan Walters, Mercury News, 9 July 2026