ipse dixit

English · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

ipse dixit

/ˌɪpseɪ ˈdɪksɪt/ UK
/ˌɪpsiː ˈdɪksɪt/ UK
/ˌɪpsi ˈdɪksɪt/ US

Rhymes with -ɪksɪt

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin ipse dīxit (“he himself said it”), calque of Ancient Greek αὐτὸς ἔφα (autòs épha).

Originally used by the followers of Pythagoreanism, who claimed this or that proposition to be uttered by Pythagoras himself. Extended during the Middle Ages to the statements of Aristotle, and more famously used in such contexts.

noun ipse dixits

countable, rhetoric, uncountable A dogmatic and unproved proposition or dictum that is accepted solely on the authority of someone who is known to have asserted it. To, avoid, therefore, all Imputation of laying down a Rule for Poſterity, founded only on the Authority of ipſe dixit; for which, to ſay the Truth, we have not the profoundeſt Veneration; […]
countable, uncountable An authority who makes such an assertion.
Similar: ad verecundiam, appeal to authority, ipsedixitism

Opposite: ad hominem, argumentum ad hominem

Thesaurus

noun

Opposite: ad hominem, argumentum ad hominem

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"ipse dixit." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ipse%20dixit. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ipse dixit. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ipse%20dixit

Chicago

"ipse dixit." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ipse%20dixit.

BibTeX

@misc{ipse_dixit_2026,
  title = {ipse dixit},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ipse%20dixit},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}