Showing results for dictates.

dictates

NOUN

custom

Synonyms

STRONGEST

method policy practice rite rule style system

STRONG

attitude canon ceremony character convention conventionalism design etiquette fashion form formality manner mode mold mores observance observation pattern performance praxis precedent precept routine taste type usage use way

WEAK

customariness established way folkways inheritence matter of course second nature unwritten law unwritten rule

Antonyms

STRONG

disorganization heedlessness neglect thoughtlessness

WEAK

departure deviation difference divergence irregularity

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.

"However, the time has come to focus our efforts on what our national interest dictates."

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

It makes for an exhausting, agonizing, anxiety-ridden existence that dictates how John exists in public.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Conventional wisdom dictates that stocks usually take the escalator up, and the elevator down.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

It dictates that a platform can’t be sued for hosting content created by a third party.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

Even as we stand on the street corner, it dictates our destiny.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides