diktat

[ dik-taht ]

noun

a harsh, punitive settlement or decree imposed unilaterally on a defeated nation, political party, etc.
any decree or authoritative statement: The Board of Education issued a diktat that all employees must report an hour earlier.

Origin of diktat

1930–35; <German: literally, something dictated <Latin dictātus, past participle of dictāre to dictate

Words Nearby diktat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use diktat in a sentence

A “governance council” sits above them, whose members issue diktats and establish operating procedures — while not actually working in the trenches.
Startups must curb bureaucracy to ensure agile data governance | Annie Siebert | April 1, 2021 | TechCrunch
Even in 1960 such a diktat might have been, well, “understandable” in a Southern city such as Washington then was.
The Racist Redskins | Michael Tomasky | June 1, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
But now Fergie appears ready to defy the implicit diktat of the House of Windsor to stay away.
The Curse of Fergie: Sarah Ferguson Is Back, at the London Olympics | Tom Sykes | August 9, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Opponents were transformed, by cultural diktat, into “wing-nuts.”
At Last, the Truth About Tea Partiers | Tunku Varadarajan | April 15, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for diktat

diktat

/ (ˈdɪktɑːt) /

noun

decree or settlement imposed, esp by a ruler or a victorious nation
a dogmatic statement

Origin of diktat

German: dictation, from Latin dictātum, from dictāre to dictate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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