Dictate — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

an authoritative rule

a guiding principle

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ˈiːstwɚdz/

🇬🇧British English

/dɪktˈeɪt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dɪktˈeɪt/

2 syllables Say it as /ˈiːstwɚdz/.

Examples

the dictates of reason
He dictated a report to his secretary

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

prescribe order

Parts of Speech

noun	an authoritative rule
noun	a guiding principle “the dictates of reason”
verb	issue commands or orders for
verb	say out loud for the purpose of recording “He dictated a report to his secretary”
verb	rule as a dictator

Word Forms

dictate	verb	rule as a dictator
order	noun	a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge)
prescriptive	adjective	pertaining to giving directives or rules
prescription	noun	directions prescribed beforehand; the action of prescribing authoritative rules or directions
dictator	noun	a person who behaves in a tyrannical manner
dictate	noun	a guiding principle
dictation	noun	an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

diktieren

eine maßgebliche Regel

🇫🇷French

dicter

une règle faisant autorité

🇪🇸Spanish

dictar

una regla autorizada

🇮🇹Italian

dettare

una regola autorevole

🇳🇱Dutch

dicteren

een gezaghebbende regel

🇵🇹Portuguese

ditar

uma regra autoritária

🇷🇺Russian

диктовать

авторитетное правило

India

🇮🇳Hindi

हुक्म

एक आधिकारिक नियम

🇧🇩Bengali

আদেশ

একটি কর্তৃত্বমূলক নিয়ম

🇮🇳Tamil

ஆணையிடுங்கள்

ஒரு அதிகாரபூர்வமான விதி

🇮🇳Telugu

నిర్దేశించండి

ఒక అధికార నియమం

🇮🇳Marathi

हुकूम

एक अधिकृत नियम

🇮🇳Gujarati

આદેશ

એક અધિકૃત નિયમ

🇮🇳Kannada

ನಿರ್ದೇಶಿಸುತ್ತವೆ

ಒಂದು ಅಧಿಕೃತ ನಿಯಮ

🇮🇳Malayalam

നിർദേശിക്കുക

ഒരു ആധികാരിക നിയമം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਹੁਕਮਨਾਮਾ

ਇੱਕ ਪ੍ਰਮਾਣਿਕ ਨਿਯਮ

🇵🇰Urdu

حکم دینا

ایک مستند اصول

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

听写

权威的规则

🇯🇵Japanese

口述する

権威ある規則

🇰🇷Korean

명령

권위 있는 규칙

🇻🇳Vietnamese

ra lệnh

một quy tắc có thẩm quyền

🇹🇭Thai

กำหนด

กฎเผด็จการ

🇮🇩Indonesian

mendikte

sebuah aturan yang otoritatif

🇵🇭Filipino

magdikta

isang makapangyarihang tuntunin

🇲🇾Malay

mendikte

peraturan yang berwibawa

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

إملاء

قاعدة موثوقة

🇮🇷Persian

دیکته کردن

یک قانون معتبر

🇹🇷Turkish

dikte

yetkili bir kural

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהַכתִיב

כלל סמכותי

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'dictate'?

The primary meaning of 'dictate' is 'an authoritative rule'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'dictate' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'dictate' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'dictate' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'dictate' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'dictate' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'dictate' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'dictate' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'dictate' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'dictate' in a professional email?

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Never

Would you classify 'dictate' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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