Meaning & use
edict
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Meanings
nouncountable
A formal order announced by a ruler or government that people are expected to obey without having a say in it.
Grammar: Countable: an edict, two edicts; usually issue or follow an edict.
Patterns
- an edict against something
- an edict from someone
- issue an edict
The king issued an edict banning all public gatherings after dark.
Under the new edict, shops had to close on feast days.
Villagers ignored the emperor's edict because nobody enforced it.
nouncountablefigurativedisapproving
Any strict instruction handed down by someone in charge, such as a boss or a school head, with no discussion.
Grammar: Used loosely and often with mild criticism: a management edict.
Patterns
- a corporate edict
- an edict from someone
The manager's edict that nobody may work from home upset the whole team.
A sudden edict from headquarters changed the dress code overnight.
He ruled the family by edict rather than by conversation.
Word forms
| plural | edicts |
|---|
Common combinations
- issue an edict
- The council issued an edict requiring every house to display a number.
- royal edict
- A royal edict ended the old tax on salt.
- rule by edict
- The new director tried to rule by edict, and staff resented it.
- defy an edict
- Few people dared to defy the edict.
- edict banning something
- An edict banning fireworks was posted in the square.
Synonyms and how they differ
- decree
- Decree is nearly identical, but it is also used for official rulings by modern governments, while edict feels more arbitrary and personal.
- proclamation
- A proclamation stresses the public announcement, whereas an edict stresses the binding command itself.
- directive
- Directive sounds like a routine business or government instruction, while edict suggests a forceful and unquestionable order.
- diktat
- Diktat is harsher still and implies a decision forced on others, often by a winner or an overbearing authority.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: edict or edit?
edict vs edit
To edit is to correct or prepare a text; an edict is an official order, and the two words sound and look only vaguely alike.
Practice
A manager announces a new rule without asking anyone. Staff might describe it as an ___.
Choose one answer.
An edict is an authoritative order imposed without debate. An audit is an inspection of accounts, an anecdote is a short story, and an exhibit is something displayed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “edict”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.