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
This all sounds promising for Geagea, except that his strategy will have to contend with the age-old Lebanese dictum that national political appointments in Lebanon are seldom, if ever, purely a domestic matter.
—
Bilal Y. Saab, Foreign Affairs, 26 Jan. 2016
But for political principals to insist on editing procedures or outcomes is certainly inconsistent with the First Amendment’s dictum regarding the press and maintaining the media’s freedom from government interference.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2025
The next Democrat to become president, Bill Clinton, won election in 1992 in part by stressing his adherence to Reagan’s free-market dictums.
—Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, over the last quarter century, firms had already begun implementing the converse of Taylor’s dictum.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictum
Bilal Y. Saab, Foreign Affairs, 26 Jan. 2016
But for political principals to insist on editing procedures or outcomes is certainly inconsistent with the First Amendment’s dictum regarding the press and maintaining the media’s freedom from government interference.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2025
The next Democrat to become president, Bill Clinton, won election in 1992 in part by stressing his adherence to Reagan’s free-market dictums.
—Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, over the last quarter century, firms had already begun implementing the converse of Taylor’s dictum.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictum
Noun
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The core principle is subtraction: removing burdens that weigh reps down, freeing them to excel at human-centric selling while allowing revenue operations to focus on strategic optimization rather than data cleanup.—
Leslie Lee,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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Bad Bunny's new album, in addition to being a musical phenomenon, is a declaration of principles – a love letter to his homeland.—
Wilson Santiago Burgos,
USA Today,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Around the country, state lawmakers are twisting tax codes, raiding campus funds and rewriting financial rules to keep their flagship programs competitive.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 July 2025
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The rules on how the league decides on replacements are not public.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Noun
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In recent years, Brazil has become increasingly fragmented, amplified by a widespread subscription to hateful doctrines, culture wars, anti-intellectualism, disinformation on social media, apocalyptic messaging, doomsday conspiracy theories, and ethno-religious identity politics.—
Emi Eleode,
Time,
14 July 2025
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Church doctrine also calls for the pope to be buried four to six days after his death, unless there are extenuating circumstances.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Noun
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To prove those true statements, mathematicians would have to add a new axiom.—
Gregory Barber,
Quanta Magazine,
20 June 2025
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In his first inaugural address in 1933, former President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid out a political axiom that would come to shrewdly diagnose America's thorny brand of insularity.—
Clare Morell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Noun
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The sale ended up helping advance India’s nuclear weapons program, exposing the need for clear rules and laws governing the sale of nuclear information, which only the federal government could devise.—
Time,
Time,
15 July 2025
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Each of us should demand our local leaders challenge every one of the immoral and cruel state laws and the Gestapo-like raids and inhumane detainments carried out by ICE agents.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 July 2025
Noun
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And buyouts mean that towns’ tax bases decrease, bringing in less money to apply to future floods.—
John Seabrook,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
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Work on the cabin reconfigurations is taking place at Southwest's maintenance bases, including its base at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
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Kennedy’s views of individual ingredients oscillate between commonsense dietary maxims and conspiratorial musings.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025
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The maxim for so long in international trade has been to remove all sand from the gears.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictum. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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