Decree vs. Order: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Published on January 27, 2024
A decree is a formal and authoritative order, often issued by a legal authority or sovereign, whereas an order is a directive or command that can come from any level of authority or organization.
Key Differences
A decree is typically associated with a formal proclamation or ruling, especially in a legal or governmental context. It often implies a decision of significant impact, made by a person or body with the highest authority. In contrast, an order is a more general term for any instruction or directive, which can be issued by anyone in a position of authority, ranging from a government official to a manager in a business.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Decrees are usually binding and have a sense of permanence or long-term effect. They often come from entities like courts, heads of state, or religious leaders, carrying a weight of legal or moral authority. Orders, however, can be temporary and may come from various levels of hierarchy within an organization or system, focusing more on immediate or short-term actions.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
In a legal context, a decree often refers to a final judgment, especially in civil court cases. It has a definitive, conclusive nature, resolving a legal matter. On the other hand, an order in the legal sense can refer to various directives during a legal process, including procedural instructions, temporary decisions, or commands to undertake certain actions.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
In terms of scope and application, decrees usually have a broader and more impactful range, affecting a large group of people or setting a precedent. Conversely, orders are often more specific, targeting particular individuals, groups, or situations and are more focused on implementation and compliance.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
The issuance of a decree often involves formalities and ceremonial aspects, emphasizing its importance and authority. Orders are typically more straightforward and functional, communicated through various means, from official documents to verbal instructions, depending on the context and urgency.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
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Comparison Chart
Authority Level
Issued by highest authority (e.g., courts, head of state)
Can be issued by any level of authority
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Jan 27, 2024
Nature
Formal, authoritative, and often has a legal connotation
More general, can be procedural or directive
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Jan 27, 2024
Scope
Broader impact, affecting larger groups
Specific, targeted at individuals or situations
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Jan 27, 2024
Formality and Ceremony
Often involves formalities and ceremonies
Usually straightforward, less ceremonial
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Jan 27, 2024
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Decree and Order Definitions
Decree
A legally binding decision by a court.
The court's decree ended the long-standing dispute.
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Jan 09, 2024
Order
A condition in which each thing is properly disposed with reference to other things and to its purpose.
The room was in perfect order.
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Jan 09, 2024
Decree
A formal and authoritative order, especially one having the force of law.
The king's decree established a new national holiday.
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Jan 09, 2024
Order
A group or class of people under a religious rule.
She joined a religious order.
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Jan 09, 2024
Decree
An official order issued by a legal authority.
The government's decree mandated new safety regulations.
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Jan 09, 2024
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Order
A condition of logical or comprehensible arrangement among the separate elements of a group.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
A decision made by someone in authority.
The CEO's decree changed the company's policy.
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Jan 09, 2024
Order
A condition of methodical or prescribed arrangement among component parts such that proper functioning or appearance is achieved
Checked to see that the shipping department was in order.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
A rule of law made by a head of state or a governing body.
The council's decree reformed the education system.
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Jan 09, 2024
Order
The established system of social organization
"Every revolution exaggerates the evils of the old order" (C. Wright Mills).
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
A condition in which freedom from disorder or disruption is maintained through respect for established authority
Finally restored order in the rebellious provinces.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
A sequence or arrangement of successive things
Changed the order of the files.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
The prescribed form or customary procedure, as in a meeting or court of law
The bailiff called the court to order.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
An administrative act applying or interpreting articles of canon law.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
To order, establish, or decide by decree
Decreed that the two kingdoms would be united.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
A command given by a superior military officer requiring obedience, as in the execution of a task.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
Orders Formal written instructions to report for military duty at a specified time and place.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
(legal) The judicial decision in a litigated cause rendered by a court of equity.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
(legal) The determination of a cause in a court of admiralty or court of probate.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
An order from one having authority, deciding what is to be done by a subordinate; also, a determination by one having power, deciding what is to be done or to take place; edict, law; authoritative ru decision.
There went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
Poor hand, why quiverest thou at this decree?
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
Any of several grades of the Christian ministry
The order of priesthood.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
A decision, order, or sentence, given in a cause by a court of equity or admiralty.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
An edict or law made by a council for regulating any business within their jurisdiction; as, the decrees of ecclesiastical councils.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
To determine judicially by authority, or by decree; to constitute by edict; to appoint by decree or law; to determine; to order; to ordain; as, a court decrees a restoration of property.
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
A group of persons living under a religious rule
Order of Saint Benedict.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
To make decrees; - used absolutely.
Father eternal! thine is to decree;Mine, both in heaven and earth to do thy will.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
An organization of people united by a common fraternal bond or social aim.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
A legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge);
A friend in New Mexico said that the order caused no trouble out there
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
A group of people upon whom a government or sovereign has formally conferred honor for unusual service or merit, entitling them to wear a special insignia
The Order of the Garter.
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Jan 05, 2024
Decree
Decide with authority;
The King decreed that all first-born males should be killed
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
Any of several styles of classical architecture characterized by the type of column and entablature employed. Of the five generally accepted classical orders, the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders are Greek and the Tuscan and Composite orders are Roman.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(Biology) A taxonomic category of organisms ranking above a family and below a class.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
The sum of the exponents to which the variables in a term are raised; degree.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
To issue a command or instruction to
Ordered the sailors to stow their gear.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
To direct to proceed as specified
Ordered the intruders off the property.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
To give a command or instruction for
The judge ordered a recount of the ballots.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
To put into a methodical, systematic arrangement
Ordered the books on the shelf.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
To give an order or orders; request that something be done or supplied.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(countable) Arrangement, disposition, or sequence.
Put the children in age order
It's arranged in order of frequency
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(uncountable) The state of being well arranged.
The house is in order; the machinery is out of order.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(countable) Conformity with law or decorum; freedom from disturbance; general tranquillity; public quiet.
To preserve order in a community or an assembly
Order in the court!
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(countable) A request for some product or service; a commission to purchase, sell, or supply goods.
Make an order
Receive an online order for the new range of sunglasses
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(countable) A group of religious adherents, especially monks or nuns, set apart within their religion by adherence to a particular rule or set of principles.
St. Ignatius Loyola founded the Jesuit order in 1537.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(countable) An association of knights.
The Order of the Garter, the Order of the Bath.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(countable) A decoration, awarded by a government, a dynastic house, or a religious body to an individual, usually for distinguished service to a nation or to humanity.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below class and above family; a taxon at that rank.
The magnolia and nutmeg families belong to the order Magnoliales.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
A number of things or persons arranged in a fixed or suitable place, or relative position; a rank; a row; a grade; especially, a rank or class in society; a distinct character, kind, or sort.
The higher or lower orders of society
Talent of a high order
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(Christianity) An ecclesiastical rank or position, usually for the sake of ministry, when plural holy orders.
There have been many major and minor orders in the history of Christianity: the order of virgins, of deacons, priests, lectors, acolytes, porters, catechists, widows, etc.
To take orders or holy orders means to be ordained a deacon or priest
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(architecture) The disposition of a column and its component parts, and of the entablature resting upon it, in classical architecture; hence (since the column and entablature are the characteristic features of classical architecture) a style or manner of architectural design.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(cricket) The sequence in which a side’s batsmen bat; the batting order.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(electronics) A power of polynomial function in an electronic circuit’s block, such as a filter, an amplifier, etc.
A 3-stage cascade of a 2nd-order bandpass Butterworth filter
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(chemistry) The overall power of the rate law of a chemical reaction, expressed as a polynomial function of concentrations of reactants and products.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(set theory) The cardinality, or number of elements in a set, group, or other structure regardable as a set.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
For given group G and element g ∈ G, the smallest positive natural number n, if it exists, such that (using multiplicative notation), gn = e, where e is the identity element of G; if no such number exists, the element is said to be of infinite order (or sometimes zero order).
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(order theory) The relation on a partially ordered set that determines that it is, in fact, a partially ordered set.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(algebra) The sum of the exponents on the variables in a monomial, or the highest such among all monomials in a polynomial.
A quadratic polynomial, is said to be of order (or degree) 2.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(finance) A written direction to furnish someone with money or property; compare money order, postal order.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(transitive) To set in some sort of order.
We need to order them alphabetically.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(transitive) To arrange, set in proper order.
The books in the shelf need ordering.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
(transitive) To issue a command to.
To order troops to advance
He ordered me to leave.
I hate being ordered around by my co-workers.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
(transitive) To request some product or service; to secure by placing an order.
You can now order most products to be delivered to your home.
To order groceries
To order food from a restaurant
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
To admit to holy orders; to ordain; to receive into the ranks of the ministry.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
Regular arrangement; any methodical or established succession or harmonious relation; method; system
The side chambers were . . . thirty in order.
Bright-harnessed angels sit in order serviceable.
Good order is the foundation of all good things.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
Right arrangement; a normal, correct, or fit condition; as, the house is in order; the machinery is out of order.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
The customary mode of procedure; established system, as in the conduct of debates or the transaction of business; usage; custom; fashion.
And, pregnant with his grander thought,Brought the old order into doubt.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
Conformity with law or decorum; freedom from disturbance; general tranquillity; public quiet; as, to preserve order in a community or an assembly.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
That which prescribes a method of procedure; a rule or regulation made by competent authority; as, the rules and orders of the senate.
The church hath authority to establish that for an order at one time which at another time it may abolish.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
A command; a mandate; a precept; a direction.
Upon this new fright, an order was made by both houses for disarming all the papists in England.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
Hence: A commission to purchase, sell, or supply goods; a direction, in writing, to pay money, to furnish supplies, to admit to a building, a place of entertainment, or the like; as, orders for blankets are large.
In those days were pit orders - beshrew the uncomfortable manager who abolished them.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
A number of things or persons arranged in a fixed or suitable place, or relative position; a rank; a row; a grade; especially, a rank or class in society; a group or division of men in the same social or other position; also, a distinct character, kind, or sort; as, the higher or lower orders of society; talent of a high order.
They are in equal order to their several ends.
Various orders various ensigns bear.
Which, to his order of mind, must have seemed little short of crime.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
A body of persons having some common honorary distinction or rule of obligation; esp., a body of religious persons or aggregate of convents living under a common rule; as, the Order of the Bath; the Franciscan order.
Find a barefoot brother out,One of our order, to associate me.
The venerable order of the Knights Templars.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
An ecclesiastical grade or rank, as of deacon, priest, or bishop; the office of the Christian ministry; - often used in the plural; as, to take orders, or to take holy orders, that is, to enter some grade of the ministry.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
The disposition of a column and its component parts, and of the entablature resting upon it, in classical architecture; hence (as the column and entablature are the characteristic features of classical architecture) a style or manner of architectural designing.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
An assemblage of genera having certain important characters in common; as, the Carnivora and Insectivora are orders of Mammalia.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
The placing of words and members in a sentence in such a manner as to contribute to force and beauty or clearness of expression.
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
Rank; degree; thus, the order of a curve or surface is the same as the degree of its equation.
Whiles I take order for mine own affairs.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
To put in order; to reduce to a methodical arrangement; to arrange in a series, or with reference to an end. Hence, to regulate; to dispose; to direct; to rule.
To him that ordereth his conversation aright.
Warriors old with ordered spear and shield.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
To give an order for; to secure by an order; as, to order a carriage; to order groceries.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
To admit to holy orders; to ordain; to receive into the ranks of the ministry.
These ordered folk be especially titled to God.
Persons presented to be ordered deacons.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed;
The British ships dropped anchor and waited for orders from London
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
A degree in a continuum of size or quantity;
It was on the order of a mile
An explosion of a low order of magnitude
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
Established customary state (especially of society);
Order ruled in the streets
Law and order
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Jan 05, 2024
Order
Logical or comprehensible arrangement of separate elements;
We shall consider these questions in the inverse order of their presentation
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
A condition of regular or proper arrangement;
He put his desk in order
The machine is now in working order
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
A legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge);
A friend in New Mexico said that the order caused no trouble out there
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
A commercial document used to request someone to supply something in return for payment and providing specifications and quantities;
IBM received an order for a hundred computers
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
A formal association of people with similar interests;
He joined a golf club
They formed a small lunch society
Men from the fraternal order will staff the soup kitchen today
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
(usually plural) the status or rank or office of a Christian clergyman in an ecclesiastical hierarchy;
Theologians still disagree over whether `bishop' should or should not be a separate order
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
A group of person living under a religious rule;
The order of Saint Benedict
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
A request for food or refreshment (as served in a restaurant or bar etc.);
I gave the waiter my order
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
(architecture) one of original three styles of Greek architecture distinguished by the type of column and entablature used or a style developed from the original three by the Romans
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
Putting in order;
There were mistakes in the ordering of items on the list
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
Give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority;
I said to him to go home
She ordered him to do the shopping
The mother told the child to get dressed
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
Make a request for something;
Order me some flowers
Order a work stoppage
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
Bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations;
We cannot regulate the way people dress
This town likes to regulate
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
Arrange thoughts, ideas, temporal events, etc.;
Arrange my schedule
Set up one's life
I put these memories with those of bygone times
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
Assign a rank or rating to;
How would you rank these students?
The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 05, 2024
Order
A directive or command from someone in authority.
The officer gave an order to advance.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 09, 2024
Order
A request for something to be made, supplied, or served.
I placed an order for pizza.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 09, 2024
Order
The arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other.
The books were arranged in alphabetical order.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 09, 2024
Repeatedly Asked Queries
What is a decree?
A formal and authoritative order, often with legal force.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
What is an example of a decree?
A government’s rule establishing a new law.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Who can give an order?
Anyone in a position of authority, like a manager or officer.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
How is a decree different from an order?
Decrees are more formal, authoritative, and often have legal implications, while orders are more general directives.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Can a decree be part of an order?
In some contexts, yes, especially in legal or governmental structures.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Are decrees always legally binding?
Often, especially when issued by a court or government.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Can decrees be overturned?
Yes, but usually requires a high level of authority or a subsequent legal process.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Are orders always related to discipline?
No, they can be related to various aspects, like tasks or procedures.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Can anyone issue a decree?
No, typically only someone in a high position of authority can issue a decree.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
What is an example of an order?
A supervisor instructing an employee to complete a task.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Can an order be verbal?
Yes, orders can be communicated verbally or in writing.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Are decrees common in business?
Less so, they are more common in legal and governmental contexts.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Do orders form part of legal proceedings?
Yes, especially in terms of court orders or procedural directives.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Is an executive order a decree?
It can be considered a form of decree, especially in a governmental context.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Can a decree be appealed?
Yes, especially if it's a legal decree, through the judicial process.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Do orders have to be obeyed?
Generally, yes, especially in formal settings like the military or workplace.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
Can an individual issue a decree?
Rarely, it's usually the domain of authoritative bodies or officials.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 27, 2024
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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