dictum

American  

[dik-tuhm] / ˈdɪk təm /

noun

• dicta,
  plural
• dictums
  plural

1. 

   an authoritative pronouncement; judicial assertion.

   Synonyms:

   declaration, order, fiat, decree, edict

2. a saying; maxim.

   Synonyms:

   saw, truism, proverb, adage

3. obiter dictum.

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dictum British  

/ ˈdɪktəm /

noun

1. a formal or authoritative statement or assertion; pronouncement

2. a popular saying or maxim

3. law See obiter dictum

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dicta
  plural
• dictums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dictum

1660–70; < Latin: something said, a saying, command, word, noun use of neuter past participle of dīcere to say, speak; cf. 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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dictum dicta dictums

Druckenmiller’s opposition to Treasury policy in essence boils down to Margaret Thatcher’s famous dictum: “You cannot buck the market.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Yet the fact that a dictum such as “choose kindness” works as a standalone thought does not make it unworthy of development.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Victor Hugo wrote in “Les Misérables” that “the sewer is the conscience of the city,” and Mr. Paré-Poupart takes this dictum to heart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Putting the experience of making “Faces of Death” in perspective, Goldhaber references Jean-Luc Godard’s famous dictum that every film is a documentary of its own making.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026

And if even the people who are familiar with the dictum don’t know what it means, how could the world be “simpler” if it were true?

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

And it included dicta — a nonbinding observation that can be cited as a “persuasive authority” in future litigation — that planted the seeds for preclearance’s demise.

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2025

Bend menswear’s dicta to your will like Thelonious Monk stretching time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

The Court made clear, in dicta, that such a child is rare.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 29, 2021

Until then, and unfortunately even today, among some, "knowledge" could be created simply by some authority saying something was so, ipso dicta.

From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017

The Pythagoreans lived according to the dicta of their leader.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

A new school system will be developed from a “bottom-up” movement, not “top-down” dictums.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2023

These dictums ranged from “Our Revolution Must Be Intersectional” to “Gather Often” as a way to “honor vulnerability and connect over gratitude.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 29, 2018

The Wing, a women-only social club and workspace in New York City, got flak for its line of Handmaid’s swag, too, which included notebooks and pens embossed with peppy dictums of female empowerment.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 10, 2018

In it, as here, he illustrates Wharton and Codman, Jr.’s dictums through the lens of his own designs—taking the odd liberty in modernizing their spirit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2018

I gave T. three dictums to guide him; the first was that we did not want a fair chance—we wanted an unfair advantage over every one else.

From Adventures and Letters of Richard Harding Davis by Charles Belmont Davis

Related Words

• adage
• aphorism
• axiom
• maxim
• precept