dictum
Americannoun
plural
dicta, dictums-
an authoritative pronouncement; judicial assertion.
- Synonyms:
- declaration, order, fiat, decree, edict
-
a saying; maxim.
noun
-
a formal or authoritative statement or assertion; pronouncement
-
a popular saying or maxim
-
law See obiter dictum
Etymology
Origin of dictum
1660–70; < Latin: something said, a saying, command, word, noun use of neuter past participle of dīcere to say, speak; index
Explanation
"You are what you eat" is a dictum, and so is a law requiring you to curb your dog. A dictum is a formal pronouncement, a rule, or a statement that expresses a truth universally acknowledged. Dictum dates from the 16th Century. It descended from a Latin word that means "something said." In contemporary use, it means more like "something that is officially said." If the principal of your school issues a dictum declaring "no jeans in school," it's time to go shopping.
Vocabulary lists containing dictum
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Fahrenheit 451
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You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is time to update Willie Sutton’s famous dictum on bank robbery: People rob the government because that’s where the money is.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026
The government held, and Hamilton got the economy running again using Bagehot’s dictum External link: “Lend freely, at a penalty rate, against good collateral.”
From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026
It reminds me of the long-held dictum that animated series can get away with plots that their live-action counterparts either can’t or struggle to enact convincingly.
From Salon • Aug. 4, 2025
Since then, Huxley’s dictum of “man remaining man” has become stretched.
From Slate • Jul. 28, 2025
If Clausewitz’s dictum is so subtle, complex, and misunderstood, how is the reader being enlightened by being told it is false?
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
