edict

American  

[ee-dikt] / ˈi dɪkt /

noun

• edicts
  plural

1. a decree issued by a sovereign or other authority.

   Synonyms:

   pronouncement, dictum

2. any authoritative proclamation or command.

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edict British  

/ ˈiːdɪkt /

noun

1. a decree, order, or ordinance issued by a sovereign, state, or any other holder of authority

2. any formal or authoritative command, proclamation, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• edictal
  adjective
• edictally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• edicts
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

edict edicts

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

This was meant to signal an edict from Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since being named leader last month.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026

Rental-home executives and investors said they had no idea the president’s edict was coming.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

That’s largely because Stein subscribed to Wasserman’s edict that the “stars were the stars,” and executives should blend into the background.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2025

Even under different scythes, the edict pronounced at conclave still stood.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

“I made it clear, through my edicts, my announcements to them that we wanted those cases involving violence, that they know how seriously we were taking them,” he told me.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 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

Arguably the most visible opposition to his edicts had been minor and limited - for example not enforcing regulations like the ban on shaving beards in regions controlled by Kabul group-aligned officials.

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026

The problem is, these kinds of edicts are impossible to follow in a practical way.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 9, 2026

They made some recommendations, and edicts went out that families must start eating together again.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

Related Words

• commandment
• decree
• directive
• injunction
• judgment
• mandate
• precept
• proclamation
• regulation
• ruling
• statute