as in principle
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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Recent Examples of dictum
The dictum is Beijing’s most substantive retaliation yet to Sanae Takaichi’s remarks.
—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
15 Nov. 2025
But today the dictum applies to Israel, as well.
—
Richard Haass,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Sep. 2025
Not that Wolfe’s dictum was totally off the mark.
—
David McGrath,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
This dictum—to honor and to applaud—brought me to Charleston this past December.
—
Latria Graham,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for dictum
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
15 Nov. 2025
But today the dictum applies to Israel, as well.
—
Richard Haass,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Sep. 2025
Not that Wolfe’s dictum was totally off the mark.
—
David McGrath,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
This dictum—to honor and to applaud—brought me to Charleston this past December.
—
Latria Graham,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for dictum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictum
Noun
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Trump sought to limit the long-standing constitutional principle – enshrined in the 14th Amendment in 1868 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 1898 – that those born in the United States are citizens.
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None of these principles require expensive infrastructure additions.
Noun
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The board removed its previous time limit rule at public comment sessions during board meetings when more than 20 speakers are signed up.
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For county-specific labels like Napa or Sonoma, the 75% rule applies.
Noun
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Organizations often invest in sophisticated detection and mitigation systems but fail to develop the doctrine, confidence and authority structures required to use them effectively.
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The clock seemed to rewind 1,400 years as tenets established at the religion’s dawn—Sharia law—were formalized into the doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih, the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist.
Noun
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Furthermore, this equality isn’t just a formal, mathematical axiom.
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Everything in mathematics therefore rests on the axioms, or basic building blocks, of the field.
Noun
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Under state law, any single gift — or multiple gifts from the same source that add up to $50 or more during the annual period — must be disclosed.
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Millions of index cards, once restricted by German privacy laws and requiring a lengthy process to obtain, are now directly searchable online in German media, as of a few months ago, after the US National Archives published the surviving membership card files online.
Noun
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The 747-800 was selected as the basis of the VC-25B, the new primary plane to serve as Air Force One in 2015, during the Barack Obama administration, as the old planes were expected to exceed their service lifetime in 2017.
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The Guardians loaded the bases with two outs in the inning but Burke induced Brayan Rocchio to pop out.
Noun
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That line is more than a practical outdoor maxim.
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But that’s the world’s most popular game in 2026, intent on testing the old coaching maxim that failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Cite this Entry
“Dictum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictum. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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