What does "diktat" mean?

A harsh penalty or settlement imposed upon a defeated party by the victor.

What is a synonym for "diktat"?

Common synonyms include: appointment, brevet, bull, command, declaration, decree.

Diktat

//dɪkˈtɑt// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A harsh penalty or settlement imposed upon a defeated party by the victor. countable, uncountable
2
A dogmatic decree or command, especially issued by one who rules without popular consent. countable, uncountable
"Whatever the pressures that have invoked the Minister's diktat, the outcome is Gilbertian."

Synonyms

All synonyms

appointment brevet bull command declaration decree

Example

More examples

"Whatever the pressures that have invoked the Minister's diktat, the outcome is Gilbertian."

Etymology

Borrowed from German Diktat, from Latin dictātum (“that which has been dictated”), from the perfect passive participle of dictō (“dictate”). Doublet of dictate.

More for "diktat"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.