dicta

noun

variants also dictums
plural of dictum
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."

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dicta Safe and familiar as that trajectory might be in a post-#GirlBoss rom-com, Goldstein and Joe Kelly’s script adds a little spice into the mix by questioning the dictums of today’s office culture. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dicta
  1. doctrines
  2. rules
  3. dictates
  4. axioms
  5. laws
  6. maxims
  7. standards
  8. premises
Noun
  • The Arab Gulf states, meanwhile, are reworking their security doctrines.
    — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026
  • First, the law takes its time in responding to new technologies, figuring that new tools can be accommodated within existing ideas, rules, and doctrines.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of doctrines
Noun
  • The push is the strongest effort yet to establish federal rules for college athletics and regulate athlete compensation after years of negotiations and tumult.
    — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Environmental groups estimate now, without stricter standards, cars could produce 22,111 more tons of carbon dioxide per year than under the Biden-era rules in 2035.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of rules
Noun
  • 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
Definition of dictates
Noun
  • The question fascinated David Hilbert, a renowned mathematician who had devoted much of his life to rebuilding physics on a sturdy foundation of crisp axioms.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Yes, the Greeks made remarkable advances in mathematics, but mostly in geometry, which is about solid, stable objects and uses a strict hierarchy of axioms, rules, and procedures—very Platonic.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of axioms
Noun
  • Pan, a pediatrician, made national headlines while in the Legislature for leading California’s efforts to enact strict school vaccine laws.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The president and his allies have insisted that existing liability laws offer enough protections.
    — Jeff Masonand Michael Shepard Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of laws
Noun
  • Groups of implicatures Grice identified three broad groups of implicatures generated through the observance, violation, or flouting of maxims in keeping with the cooperative principle.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The walls are robin’s-egg blue, painted with images of meditating skeletons and vaguely inspirational maxims.
    — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
Definition of maxims
Noun
  • Professional societies and standards organizations will need to develop and regularly update the technical requirements.
    — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Cornell University’s investigation, of course, did not have to adhere to New York’s arguably archaic criminal standards, but its response, too, has triggered anger and disbelief across airwaves and social media.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of standards
Noun
  • The lawyer collected the papers and said Leigh was to leave the premises.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Maison Estelle, a private members club in London, temporarily shuttered today following a Metropolitan Police investigation outside the premises.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of premises

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dicks
dicta
dictate
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Cite this Entry

“Dicta.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dicta. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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