edict
Americannoun
-
edicts
plural
-
a decree issued by a sovereign or other authority.
- Synonyms:
- pronouncement, dictum
-
any authoritative proclamation or command.
noun
-
a decree, order, or ordinance issued by a sovereign, state, or any other holder of authority
-
any formal or authoritative command, proclamation, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of edict
First recorded in 1450–1500; from Latin ēdictum, noun use of neuter of ēdictus (past participle of ēdīcere “to give public notice, proclaim”), equivalent to ē- + dictus “said”; see origin at e- 1, dictum
Explanation
If your mom orders you to clean your room, that's an order. If the king asks you to do it, that's an edict — an official order from some higher up. Edict comes from the Latin edictum, meaning a "proclamation, or ordinance." Although it was originally used to describe a declaration or command from a king or other governing official, in more recent years it has come to be used almost sarcastically to describe any order. When your teacher says the report is due Monday morning, no exceptions, you know you'll be hitting the books this weekend — this is an edict you cannot ignore.
Vocabulary lists containing edict
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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.
See Examples For:
President Joe Biden, Trump's predecessor, recalled the Independence Declaration's edict that all people are created equal.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
The Wall Street Journal later reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the US giant was preparing to backtrack on its acquisition after the Chinese edict.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
Esther, the king’s wife, convinced the king to withdraw the edict and arrest Haman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
“This edict, combined with the current delay fiasco, has built a ‘wall’ for employers and employees who are already in the process of stamping.”
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
The clerics were recruited by the prison service, whose one edict was that they must preach exclusively on religious matters.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
It's there that edicts handed down by the reclusive emir are translated into what are known as workarounds.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
But in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, where all of the country’s confirmed cases have been reported, residents have adapted quickly to government health edicts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Rising deficits, erratic trade negotiations, unpredictable tariff edicts, and a perceived attack on the Federal Reserve have all combined to push Treasury bond yields higher.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
The problem is, these kinds of edicts are impossible to follow in a practical way.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 9, 2026
If he was ordained, he would defy the edict, invoking the tenth commandment, which clearly said he was beholden to no laws beyond the ten—including any edicts levied by the Scythedom.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
