as in principle
formal
a statement or well-known remark that expresses an important idea, observation, or opinion
A doctor must follow the dictum of "First, do no harm."
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dictum
The party that once embraced President Ronald Reagan’s campaign dictum that the government was the problem now enthusiastically embraces the government as a political weapon.
—
Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Did Jensen want to talk about the absurd, last-minute Biden administration dictum that determined only 18 U.S. allies were friendly enough to get as many of Nvidia’s advanced AI chips as possible?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025
As a result, in the last quarter century, leading firms began implementing the converse of Taylor’s dictum.
—Steve Denning, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
Smith co-wrote six of the 18 songs — his road schedule kept him from writing more, but, as the Nashville dictum goes, the best song always wins.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dictum
Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Did Jensen want to talk about the absurd, last-minute Biden administration dictum that determined only 18 U.S. allies were friendly enough to get as many of Nvidia’s advanced AI chips as possible?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025
As a result, in the last quarter century, leading firms began implementing the converse of Taylor’s dictum.
—Steve Denning, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
Smith co-wrote six of the 18 songs — his road schedule kept him from writing more, but, as the Nashville dictum goes, the best song always wins.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dictum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictum
Noun
-
Articulate openly and transparently why these principles are fundamental to the operating culture, particularly when under scrutiny or attack.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Emergent behavior is the principle of a superorganism.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Dunne’s Back-Pay Argument Dunne committed to LSU in 2017, four years before the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Interim rules went into effect.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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For 18 months, every discussion about Newcastle United’s transfer strategy has necessitated mention of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Compared with the fundamentalism of al-Qaida or Hamas, the doctrines of the Bolsheviks, the nationalism of the Nazis or the sun god worship of the Aztecs, Christianity does indeed seem not too bad.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2025
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Roth said employees at the charity would have to be expressing and inculcating religious doctrine, such as requiring participation in a prayer before a meal is served at a soup kitchen.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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There’s an old axiom in physics, which states that nature abhors a vacuum.—
Letters to the editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2025
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There is a lot of axiomatics, which seems to be closer to the Greeks, but aren’t the axioms largely chosen at will?—
Simone Weil,
Harper's Magazine,
2 July 2024
Noun
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The memo signed by Rubio also makes the case that another person, whose name is redacted, should be deportable under the same law.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2025
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This is part of the administration's broader strategy to ensure universities comply with federal law regarding protections for Jewish students.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The potential for building more sophisticated internal AI agents capable of handling multi-step tasks with access to large internal knowledge bases increases.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Michael Busch slugged a home run for a second straight day as five of the eight hits by the Cubs (11-7) went for extra bases.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Many corporate leaders still adhere to Milton Friedman’s maxim that the primary purpose of a company is to maximize shareholder returns.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Lamar Alexander reminded me of a maxim from the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the conservative icon.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictum. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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