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Synonyms

pronouncement

American  
[pruh-nouns-muhnt] / prəˈnaʊns mənt /

noun

  1. a formal or authoritative statement.

  2. an opinion or decision.

  3. act of pronouncing.


pronouncement British  
/ prəˈnaʊnsmənt /

noun

  1. an official or authoritative statement or announcement

  2. the act of pronouncing, declaring, or uttering formally

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of pronouncement

First recorded in 1585–95; pronounce + -ment

Explanation

A pronouncement is an official announcement, like the kind politicians make. It’s formal and comes from someone in charge. The mayor of your town might make a pronouncement about the importance of not littering. When you make a pronouncement, you're certain about what you're saying and say it with authority. A school principal's pronouncement about not running in the halls might be broadcast over the intercom so everyone can hear it. A big brother might make a pronouncement about what’s for dinner. Feel free to ignore him, but not the principal or the mayor, unless you want to get in trouble. Pronouncement comes from the Latin word pronuntiare, "to proclaim or announce."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing pronouncement

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:

Where was the immediate pronouncement that they will not sit quietly while their journalists are demeaned in front of their colleagues?

From Salon Jul. 29, 2026

Florko, a staff writer at the Atlantic, made that pronouncement long before the multistate outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis, a parasite that is associated with explosive diarrhea and has spread across 34 states and counting.

From Slate Jul. 17, 2026

Presidents and political references fill his novels, but the books are without pronouncement.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 10, 2025

It was a game of wait and see until a pronouncement on social media Sunday night that the colt was coming to Pimlico.

From Los Angeles Times May 14, 2025

“Don’t listen to them, Mr. Loring. They are less than thee,” Emma Lee Givens said in a voice full of pronouncement.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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