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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
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
Unlike previous commissions and councils, HESA was not the result of a presidential charge or a Congressional edict.
—David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Any new federal edict that caps state spending on fiber will require states to renegotiate contracts and potentially delay the program by another year to 18 months, a state official said.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025
In the aftermath of this edict, Helen made a critical decision.
—Mary Laporte, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Edict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/edict. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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edict
noun
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