1
as in instructions
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned
the company president regularly issues directives intended for all staff members
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decrees
an order publicly issued by an authority
a directive issued by the archbishop that is to be read during Sunday services at every parish
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in memorandums
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 directives
But Claude took some of the new directives a bit too seriously; suddenly, every fake passage was filled with characters hopping on a horse, or delivering an important package, or running.
—
Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 2 June 2026
Secretaries were also tasked with identifying repeat audit findings where additional resources would be needed to solve issues, among other directives from the governor.
—Danielle J. Brown, Baltimore Sun, 28 May 2026
Following the Vlast report, D’Uva has sought to distance itself from the controversy, telling the press that any directives to remove Machine were issued by a specialist who was not authorized to make such decisions.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 May 2026
Much like my own experience in the science laboratories at university, the robots will need to understand directives from their human teachers, then follow through with the task on their own.
—New Atlas, 25 May 2026
But a series of 15th century directives from the Vatican authorized Portuguese sovereigns to conquer Africa and the Americas and enslave non-Christians.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Among other things, he was accused of being openly critical of college leadership and of failing to respond to or complete directives from college officials.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Wang and Sun executed directives from PRC representatives and sometimes sought permission from Chinese government officials to post content, Wang’s plea agreement said.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 14 May 2026
The administration is now arguing that courts cannot tell the president how to manage national security clearances or interfere with his directives regarding building access or government contracts.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 14 May 2026
Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 2 June 2026
Secretaries were also tasked with identifying repeat audit findings where additional resources would be needed to solve issues, among other directives from the governor.
—Danielle J. Brown, Baltimore Sun, 28 May 2026
Following the Vlast report, D’Uva has sought to distance itself from the controversy, telling the press that any directives to remove Machine were issued by a specialist who was not authorized to make such decisions.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 May 2026
Much like my own experience in the science laboratories at university, the robots will need to understand directives from their human teachers, then follow through with the task on their own.
—New Atlas, 25 May 2026
But a series of 15th century directives from the Vatican authorized Portuguese sovereigns to conquer Africa and the Americas and enslave non-Christians.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Among other things, he was accused of being openly critical of college leadership and of failing to respond to or complete directives from college officials.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Wang and Sun executed directives from PRC representatives and sometimes sought permission from Chinese government officials to post content, Wang’s plea agreement said.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 14 May 2026
The administration is now arguing that courts cannot tell the president how to manage national security clearances or interfere with his directives regarding building access or government contracts.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for directives
Noun
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Below, check out the differences between the VPNs, along with step-by-step instructions on how to use them to watch Love Island UK in the US.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
1 June 2026
-
Hence, sharing complex mission data or receiving new instructions forces the drones to halt operations and swim all the way back to the surface.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Editors also printed speeches of major national and state political leaders as well as significant government documents, including sessions of state legislatures and governors’ decrees.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
-
But investors are taking a chance in tying their money to college sports at a time when there are unresolved and potentially transformative legal battles, with outcomes hinging less on economics than on judicial decrees.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
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The visit, led by officials tied to the White House’s energy policy apparatus, is expected to produce memorandums of understanding covering oil and key minerals such as gold, aluminum and possibly coal.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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As the justices’ memoranda illustrate, West Virginia, North Dakota and several energy companies sued the Obama administration over its Clean Power Plan and sought to block the new, transformative regulation from going into effect.—
Wayne Unger,
The Conversation,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
My worry is edicts from Hartford.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
While many edicts are necessary to protect public safety, many more are redundant, wasteful and anti-competitive, piling on unnecessary costs and stymieing innovation.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Trump’s attorneys have argued on appeal that those rulings prevented jurors from hearing critical information and deprived him of a fair opportunity to defend himself.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
-
And that’s what creates this sort of doubt about the future of some of these rulings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Police officers can run the plates to ensure the registration is current, with the Department of Motor Vehicles sending out notices reminding the owners when payments are due.—
Jim Radcliffe,
Oc Register,
29 May 2026
-
The layoffs are scheduled to take effect on July 22 and were described as permanent, the EDD WARN notices show.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Duterte, who stepped down in 2022 after his stormy six-year term, was arrested last year on orders of the ICC and flown to the Netherlands, where he was detained and will face trial for alleged crimes against humanity starting in November over some of the killings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
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Living quarters included bunk beds, a small kitchen, restrooms, and communal areas where crews spent 24-hour rotations waiting for orders that everyone hoped would never arrive.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Bari Weiss directed the housecleaning at the newsmagazine last week, and Nick Bilton signed the letter telling Scott Pelley he was fired on Tuesday night, but the Paramount CEO owns the decisions and the disconcerting fallout.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
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Long term, there will be decisions to be made regarding how to link the individual qubits in a way that enables error correction.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Directives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/directives. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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