DICTATING Synonyms: 93 Similar and Opposite Words

dictating 1 of 2

adjective

as in controlling

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Dissimilar Words

dictating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dictate

as in ordering

to request the doing of by virtue of one's authority dictated that the terms of surrender be negotiated by his senior staff

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 dictating

Adjective

As well as his tempo-dictating actions on the ball, Rodri also tops the list for counter-pressing wins among all players in this World Cup. — Mark Carey, New York Times, 18 July 2026 The 23-year-old forward was the one with the ball in his hands, dictating actions, making decisions. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025

Verb

After so much talk leading up to and coming out of the game in Melbourne, Australia, about the Los Angeles Rams waiting until late to fly there — and lost 27-7 to San Francisco — the NFL does not appear close to dictating when teams must travel. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 So once again, the rich, powerful Establishment would be dictating the terms under which everyone else lives. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 This is her first time in the finals as a team leader, and her production will go a long way toward dictating Atlanta’s success. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2026 Straight legs, cigarette cuts, wide fits, and slim silhouettes are all in circulation at once—which means there’s no single dominant shape dictating the market. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026 And the First Amendment prohibits the government from dictating speech or prohibiting you from saying things. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 5 Oct. 2026 This would ensure conferences, colleges and athletes are free to negotiate and enter into agreements that benefit everyone, without the heavy hand of government dictating what parties can offer or accept. — Sen. Rand Paul Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 But not all colleges or even high school teachers embraced the idea, in part because of concerns about a test dictating high school curricula. — Beth Kania-Gosche, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026 California does not have a statewide mandate dictating how far a firearms retailer must be from a school or daycare. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictating

Adjective

Other light-responsive materials that hide and reveal colours illustrate how controlling visibility could have uses beyond body art.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
Rivian, still a major non-controlling shareholder, factors into that roadmap too, since its growing fleet of on-road vehicles generates the driving data Also will eventually need to train its own autonomy systems.

— Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of controlling

Verb

The leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult linked to more than 400 deaths was convicted Monday of murdering 190 children and one adult after ordering followers to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus.

— Evelyne Musambi, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Last week, Kyiv also accused Washington of ordering restrictions on its Starshield networks, the military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink.

— Elsa Ohlen,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of ordering

Verb

Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.

— , CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026
After his arrest, Alfozan refused to speak to the FBI, requesting his attorney.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of requesting

Adjective

By nightfall, everyone gathered once again at the base of the Atrio imperial staircase for pre-dinner cocktails.

— Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
The play follows a press secretary to the Roman emperors, played by Annaleigh Ashford in the New York production opposite Joe Tapper as a journalist, with Christopher Ryan Grant as a nameless imperial official.

— Mariah Kreutter, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of imperial

Verb

After the shooting took place, the university issued a statement on X asking members of its campus community to stay away from the area.

— Samantha Cookinham, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026
The neurologist emphasized that patients should feel comfortable asking questions and getting a second opinion.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of asking

Adjective

Ever-sensible Elinor, who never asks for much, has already met, and fallen for, Edward Ferrars (George MacKay), Fanny’s brother, as kind and modest as Fanny is arrogant.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Hal and Kate, having misread Trowbridge’s shock and dismay at the tragic death of Austin Dennison as a worse-than-usual bit of arrogant posturing, switch to Bad Cop mode.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Verb

Notably, the state recently passed legislation mandating video cameras on all train cars.

— Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Policy support — including mandating some Chinese hospitals to use domestic products — has lifted the industry, with China’s exports of hospital equipment hitting more than $24 billion last year.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of mandating

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Style

“Dictating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictating. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of dictating

adjective

verb

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