directive

noun

Definition of directivenext
1
as in instruction
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned the company president regularly issues directives intended for all staff members

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decree
an order publicly issued by an authority a directive issued by the archbishop that is to be read during Sunday services at every parish

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3
as in memorandum
a written communication giving information or directions a growing stack of unread directives from the company's senior vice president

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of directive The Acalica project went against their space traveler’s observe-and-report prime directive, so, aided by Henry Thorpe, Djen exposed Ruby and the other aliens, forcing them to leave Earth and her to create an environment-saving technology unabated. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026 Party directives call for greater Chinese influence over rules governing the oceans, polar regions, cyberspace, outer space, nuclear safety, anticorruption efforts, climate change, and international finance. — Mark Jia, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026 In May, the state Supreme Court upheld the gerrymandered map, bolstered by directives from Missouri’s secretary of state and attorney general. — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2026 The new directives represent the administration’s latest effort to fulfill a long-standing campaign pledge by testing the constitutional boundaries of birthright citizenship through complex legal arguments. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for directive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for directive
  1. instruction
  2. decree
  3. memorandum
  4. edict
  5. ruling
  6. notice
  7. order
  8. decision
Noun
  • So, there was no real risk that a court AI system might confuse any of Elliott’s prompts as instructions from the court directing an AI model on how to read Elliott’s filings.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Two of his landmark papers, published in 2025 and 2026 in Science, point to a radical redistribution of the cells that make up the body as mammals age, and describe some of the epigenomic instructions that guide this process.
    — Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of instruction
Noun
  • More than 3,000 morality inspectors have been deployed across the country to enforce the Taliban’s decrees in public spaces and to pressure male family members to ensure women’s compliance within the home.
    — Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The agency warned that recent decrees had further weakened women’s legal protections.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of decree
Noun
  • Its supreme leader appointed six new figures to key positions, all of whom opposed the June memorandum of understanding with the US.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • On Sunday, Russia and Syria signed a memorandum of understanding dictating their military cooperation in the near future.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of memorandum
Noun
  • Those who oppose the Mexican Mafia, or fail to follow the edicts of the gang’s leaders, are often targeted for beatings or even death.
    — Sean Emery, Oc Register, 22 July 2026
  • Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse The highly agile Getty shooter Alan Crowhurst has done us a great favor by bringing concrete cloakroom evidence of the many social and administrative challenges that the (famous) Royal Ascot costume edicts require in order to be properly met.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Definition of edict
Noun
  • What Trump should not do is keep testing variations of executive orders against a Supreme Court ruling that has already answered the central question.
    — Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Trump administration An immigration court ruling narrows pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruling
Noun
  • Those accused became social outcasts, leading to eviction notices from landlords, pink slips, club membership revocation and divorces.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Readers learned their behavior was being modeled by a contractor during an earnings call, not a privacy notice, and the employees closet to the readers weren’t told beforehand.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of notice
Noun
  • But instead of congratulating their long-time colleague, her co-workers, under the orders of their department head, urged her to think again.
    — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Remember, Apple doesn’t want to change the production schedule ot order any extra A19 Pro chipsets, so the available supply is a function of TSMC’s fabrication process.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of order
Noun
  • World soccer governing body FIFA, which organizes the World Cup, said immigration decisions were the purview of host countries for the tournament.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • And, Congress declined to maintain subsidies that Americans buying coverage through health insurance exchanges receive, a decision that has already caused many to let their coverage lapse.
    — Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of decision

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directions
directive
directives
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Cite this Entry

“Directive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/directive. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of directive for Spanish Speakers

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