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 majority opinion in Pierce v. Society of Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary included a now-famous dictum about parents’ rights to shape their children’s upbringing.
—
Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 5 June 2025
At a Vanity Fair party, Diddy admonished Nash because Cassie’s hair was not in keeping with his dictum.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 28 May 2025
Those organizing in opposition to pipelines in South Dakota, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Rhode Island carry the dictum on their lips.
—Elizabeth Rush, The Atlantic, 26 May 2025
Ultimately, the old dictum still stands – Garbage in, garbage out.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictum
Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 5 June 2025
At a Vanity Fair party, Diddy admonished Nash because Cassie’s hair was not in keeping with his dictum.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 28 May 2025
Those organizing in opposition to pipelines in South Dakota, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Rhode Island carry the dictum on their lips.
—Elizabeth Rush, The Atlantic, 26 May 2025
Ultimately, the old dictum still stands – Garbage in, garbage out.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictum
Noun
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Both of their research programs focused on cellular logistics, leading to new principles of intracellular transport and cellular organization.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The same principle applies in commercial real estate.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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See rules for Competitive Wordle toward the end of this post.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The Spanish competition’s salary limit rules basically set the amount of money teams are allowed to spend on player’s wages.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Fedorov and Svyatogor represent two sides of Cosmism, which Groys writes never had a unified doctrine.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
12 Sep. 2025
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If that fails, youth could back a Prime Minister from outside Parliament, invoking the doctrine of necessity—though this risks overstepping constitutional limits.—
Sonal Nain,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Reese merely flipped that axiom on its head by asking to be coached harder.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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This is an axiom; indeed, delegation is one of the first skills typically required of new managers.—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Raise the stakes for farmers There have been calls not just to hold farmers more accountable for H-2A violations, but also to reward the ones who comply with labor laws.—
Max Blau,
ProPublica,
16 Sep. 2025
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As lieutenant governor, Duncan backed policies expanding healthcare in rural communities and helped pass the state’s first hate crimes law.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Corps officials will evaluate each request on a case by case basis.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
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This creates a better environment for fuller, stronger hair to grow—something our testers began to notice after lathering up with it on a regular basis.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Sonicare brushing app is proof that this maxim couldn’t be truer.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 Aug. 2025
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There's a maxim in the intelligence community always about speaking truth to power.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictum. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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