INSTRUCTIONS Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

instructions

noun

plural of instruction

as in directions

a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned needed an administrative assistant who was good at following instructions

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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 instructions Synthetic mRNA delivers the instructions on these specific targets, allowing the body to present them to immune cells. — Mike McRae 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026 Believing her daughter’s life was on the line, Del Mastro followed the caller’s instructions for five hours. — Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026 The process sends digital instructions between devices; the odor itself comes from supplies already loaded into the wearable. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026 Officers said Marvin repeatedly refused instructions to move out of the robot's path. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026 Heat reserved candy melts according to the package instructions until smooth. — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Her crunchy-granola Mom and Dad (Maya Erskine and Jake Johnson) seem more than a little overprotective of their youngest child; the reluctant babysitter is given strict instructions not to leave the premises. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026 Three days before the test, a hospital administrator from Southampton Hospital called to confirm the appointment and review the preparation instructions. — Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026 Apple’s new smart display sits in the center of the chaos on the kitchen table, helping the family check their calendars, send messages, and pull up a French toast recipe in seconds, with simple, step-by-step instructions. — Dominic Preston, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for instructions

Noun

Today, the traffic in innovation is beginning to move in multiple directions.

— Ruby Wang, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
What’s happening Yardzen’s report flags the Party Patio as one of eight dominant directions heading into next year.

— Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of directions

Noun

For now, courts have blocked the most consequential provisions of both orders, primarily on the ground that the President has no lawful authority to impose them.

— Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
The company has not said whether the expansion will require more robots on Philadelphia sidewalks or whether its existing fleet will handle the additional orders.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of orders

Noun

Pro teams also tend to follow league edicts, especially since teams and their owners are contractually bound to their leagues.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 21 Oct. 2026
The film by and large follows the edicts of Iranian neorealism, with unobtrusive observations and a naturalistic soundscape.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of edicts

Noun

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain concluded that Olson violated two department directives, including rules governing conduct unbecoming an officer and conduct toward fellow employees.

— Brian Maass, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Wednesday’s filing marks the latest escalation in the legal fight over conditions at the facility and the government’s lack of compliance with the court’s directives.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of directives

Noun

This is, of course, the conception of fundamentalist theology, which threatens eternal hellfire for anyone who defies its commandments.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Wilde’s nine buttercream commandments show home bakers how to create visually striking, deeply personal cakes.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Definition of commandments

Noun

Right-leaning lawmakers have also expressed their wish to curtail individual rulings from Supreme Court justices, who have often suspended laws, issued sweeping injunctions and made high-impact orders without the authorization of the full bench.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Another Supreme Court case made injunctions — the court orders that companies historically relied on to halt patent infringement — significantly harder to secure.

— Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of injunctions

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instructional

instructions

instructive

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

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Synonyms of instructions

noun

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