1
as in instruction
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned
the company president regularly issues directives intended for all staff members
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decree
an order publicly issued by an authority
a directive issued by the archbishop that is to be read during Sunday services at every parish
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3
as in memorandum
a written communication giving information or directions
a growing stack of unread directives from the company's senior vice president
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of directive
As her cabin took on water, Chloe Childress had obeyed Camp Mystic’s one directive to shelter in place.
—
Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026
Under a new directive, Air Force leaders are required to prioritize resource allocation and actively remove bureaucratic and administrative obstacles to keep programs on schedule.
—David Szondy
june 15, New Atlas, 15 June 2026
McAfee told me the directive was an attack on his right to free speech.
—CNN Money, 14 June 2026
The move comes after Anthropic’s receipt of a US Commerce Department directive Friday evening, subjecting the new models to export controls restricting their use anywhere outside the United States.
—ArsTechnica, 13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for directive
Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026
Under a new directive, Air Force leaders are required to prioritize resource allocation and actively remove bureaucratic and administrative obstacles to keep programs on schedule.
—David Szondy
june 15, New Atlas, 15 June 2026
McAfee told me the directive was an attack on his right to free speech.
—CNN Money, 14 June 2026
The move comes after Anthropic’s receipt of a US Commerce Department directive Friday evening, subjecting the new models to export controls restricting their use anywhere outside the United States.
—ArsTechnica, 13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for directive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for directive
Noun
-
Follow evacuation instructions without delay.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 June 2026
-
The findings also pointed out that no public address system was used during the flooding, that some campers became separated from their counselors for the remainder of the flooding and counselors and campers were told to shelter in place in their cabins and await further instructions.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Zelenskyy issued a decree on May 26 naming a unit of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA, which operated during the 1940s and 1950s and has been accused in Poland of mass killings.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
-
The state of emergency doesn't limit due process rights or constitutional guarantees and allows people to continue their daily activities, according to the decree.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
The memorandum signed by leaders of the United States and Iran sets the stage for negotiations over the two issues.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
To get agreement on just the 14-point memorandum took months.—
Nic Robertson,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
The memorandum includes a pledge by Iran to never purchase or construct nuclear weapons — a vow the Islamic Republic has made multiple times before, including by signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, in a religious edict issued by the late supreme leader and in the Obama-era nuclear accord.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
The age of the Germanic male genius delivering edicts from on high has run its course.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
At the time, the severity of the ruling reflected the enormous scale of Lan’s fraud as well as efforts by authorities to restore investor trust.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
-
Under the ruling, which the BLM has appealed, the agency has roughly three years to redraw the network of Mojave off-road trails.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
But the city said the boil water notice does not impact the cities of Samson Park and River Oaks.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
-
Prosecutors plan to formally issue the subpoena on June 30, and are giving Woods' attorneys a 10-day notice to render any objections.—
Ben Brachfeld,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
But as Cooper's deadline for his name to be stripped from the building neared, the Justice Department asked the federal appeals court in Washington to pause the district court's order.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
-
But during the third time through the order, the Orioles finally figured him out and hit back-to-back home runs.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Partey, who pleaded not guilty to all those charges, appealed against the decision not to allow him into Canada and saw his arguments dismissed.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
For Antwan McKoy, the decision was always going to be one of those two schools.—
Jeff Sentell,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Directive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/directive. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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