Pick the clear, simple, common, formal word "dictum" when you want to label some rule that's particularly helpful or insightful, one that guides people well as they live their lives, make their art, or navigate their relationships.

Although dicta can be specific orders in specific situations, like "2020's chief dictum was to wear a mask if you have COVID symptoms," they're more often specific phrases with some catchiness to them.

Examples of dicta include:
"Speak your truth."
"The truth is stranger than fiction."
"If you can’t say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
"Laughter depends on quickness of perception." (George Meredith)
"Time is an essential element [in cooking]." (George Washington Carver)
"If something's a hit [on TV, for example], give it to people twice as much, twice as hard."
"History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history." (James Baldwin)

You might talk about people who obey, follow, or embody some particular dictum. Or about people who disobey, veer from, rebel against, or clash with some dictum.

To spell out what someone's dictum is, you could use the phrase "The dictum that (something is true or something should be done)," as in "He follows the dictum that writers must show, not tell."

"Al Ulbrickson's 'no smoking, no drinking, no chewing, no cussing' dictum always rang like a bell in the backs of their minds."
  — Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat, 2013

"'These people could not get to performances, so we went to them,' she said, echoing Ailey's dictum that dance 'came from the people' and 'should always be delivered back to the people.'"
  — Brian Seibert, quoting Sylvia Waters and Alvin Ailey, respectively, New York Times, 1 April 2024

has this page helped you understand "dictum"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "dictum" without saying "adage" or "precept."

try it out:

Fill in the blank: "A dictum was handed down that (something must be done a specific way)."

Example 1: "Who the heck handed down the dictum that kids' essays should be five paragraphs?"

Example 2: "Some of the Pepettes spent as much as $100 of their own money to make an individual sign, decorating it with twinkling lights and other attention-getting devices. It became a rather serious game of can-you-top-this, and finally a dictum was handed down that all the signs must be made the same way, without any neon."
  — H.G. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights, 1990

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "It's That Thing..."

We'll play with some highly slangy, reasonably wholesome terms, courtesy of Urban Dictionary.

I'll give you three terms, and you attempt to define them. Scroll down to see the correct definitions, and give yourself a point for each term that you defined either correctly or believably.

Try these today:

1. Godfather syndrome

2. Scam baiting

3. Yawnsense

review this word:

1. A near opposite of a DICTUM is

A. a MALEDICTION: a rude, vulgar statement.
B. an INTERDICTION: a law or command against something.
C. an ADDICTION: a debilitating need or craving for something.

2. At the radio station where my husband worked as a college student, the dictum was "_____."

A. Keep it light, tight, and bright
B. We're not sure what we're doing, but we're doing it well
C. Vox clamantis in deserto (A voice crying in the wilderness)

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. A From the game: Remember, even if you're wrong, give yourself a point for coming up with a believable definition! Here are the definitions that Urban Dictionary lists. 1. Godfather syndrome: "when a third installment of a movie franchise is widely considered disappointing compared to the previous two." 2. Scam baiting: "feigning interest in the scam and then tricking the scammer into performing costly, silly or time-wasting tasks." 3. Yawnsense: "the incredibly stupid things you say when you are overly tired."

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.