as in principles
formal
a statement by an authority of how people should behave
the moral precepts of a religion
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Recent Examples of precepts
On May 6, 2026, a historic ceremony was held where a robot received the Buddhist precepts from a monk.
—
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 2026
Yet, their rise did contribute to the prevention of the power of a single individual who would thwart the precepts of the Constitution.
—Richard Davis, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
But Felder also feared that the attack would provoke unprecedented violence against Palestinians, and believed that being Jewish required adhering to certain moral precepts.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Accordingly, the warring factions have competed to depict themselves as the true embodiment of MAGA and paint their rivals as undermining Trump or deviating from his precepts.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Even as her hard-line tactics have shown some success, Sheinbaum has not renounced the precepts of López Obrador, who, while retired, remains a revered and influential figure.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Martin has criticized the Ten Commandments mandate as not just a violation of American precepts but religious ones as well.
—Christopher Schelin, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026
Kutcher’s character—the richest man in the world, who calls himself The Corporation—has, in defiance of all ethical, legal, and medical precepts, developed The Beauty.
—Judy Berman, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
Guided by its own creed, Beijing tends to wield economic power according to its own precepts rather than global norms or external expectations.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 2026
Yet, their rise did contribute to the prevention of the power of a single individual who would thwart the precepts of the Constitution.
—Richard Davis, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
But Felder also feared that the attack would provoke unprecedented violence against Palestinians, and believed that being Jewish required adhering to certain moral precepts.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Accordingly, the warring factions have competed to depict themselves as the true embodiment of MAGA and paint their rivals as undermining Trump or deviating from his precepts.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Even as her hard-line tactics have shown some success, Sheinbaum has not renounced the precepts of López Obrador, who, while retired, remains a revered and influential figure.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Martin has criticized the Ten Commandments mandate as not just a violation of American precepts but religious ones as well.
—Christopher Schelin, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026
Kutcher’s character—the richest man in the world, who calls himself The Corporation—has, in defiance of all ethical, legal, and medical precepts, developed The Beauty.
—Judy Berman, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
Guided by its own creed, Beijing tends to wield economic power according to its own precepts rather than global norms or external expectations.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precepts
Noun
-
Assayas takes a cynical and clichéd view regarding temptation and corruption, worldly rewards of security and pleasure, even ego and pride, while having nothing to say about the transformations envisioned or the values embodied in the exercise of political authority.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
-
And for vegans, undeclared dairy or eggs can affect health or ethical values.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Golf’s elite spaces and long-standing rules don’t always make room for those who don’t abide by norms.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
The piece suggests that for many voters, especially Democrats and left-leaning independents, candidate choice is being driven less by enthusiasm than by anxiety over the rules of the state’s top-two primary.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The 2024 election law addresses matters such as the use of QR codes when tallying ballots, voting for the state’s homeless population, rules surrounding the counting of absentee ballots, and third-party candidates on the state’s future presidential election ballots.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
13 May 2026
-
The groups called for a moratorium on new data center development in order to allow local governments more time to adopt policies, investigate new zoning codes and hear community input.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Each starts from its own axioms, and those axioms can be diametrically opposed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
-
Moreover, any consistent system must also be incomplete, meaning that there are true mathematical statements that cannot be proved using the system’s axioms.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
By now, decades into Americans’ pursuit of cooking as a mainstream hobby, certain maxims have become near-law among food lovers.—
Emily Heil,
Washington Post,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Maybe anyone planning long journeys should take those maxims as advice anyhow.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Similar laws are on the books in Europe, and there’s no evidence that prices have gone up because of them.—
Justin Sanchez,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
In addition, this legislation could provide leaders with protection on state laws pertaining to NIL, which has led to lawsuits and a plethora of disagreements.—
Trey Wallace,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Precepts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precepts. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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