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Edicts are few and far between in a democracy, since very few important laws can be made by a president or prime minister acting alone. But when a crisis arose in the Roman Republic, the senate would appoint a dictator, who would have the power to rule by edict. The idea was that the dictator could make decisions quickly, issuing his edicts faster than the senate could act. When the crisis was over, the edicts were canceled and the dictator usually retired from public life. Things are different today: dictators almost always install themselves in power, and they never give it up.
Examples of edict in a Sentence
Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2025
Better to do so peacefully surrounded by friends and family, if possible, rather than confined like an animal to live out one’s days deprived of dignity and forced to endure humiliation and pain in order to assuage the moral edicts of medieval philosophy and theology.
—Patrick Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2025
Throughout Jewish history, these edicts and stories have generally been interpreted as historical accounts or as metaphors, not commands to commit genocide.
—Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2025
The Golden State’s quality of life is greatly affected by the edicts of powerful environmental and ecological government organizations such as the California Air Resources Board and the California Coastal Commission.
—John Scott Lewinski, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Edict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/edict. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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edict
noun
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