Directions — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /də-ˈrek-shən/ (noun) /ˌkō-də-ˈrek-shən/ (noun) /ˌself-də-ˈrekt/ (verb) di·rec·tion

Meaning & Definition of Directions

Directions (noun)

  1. guidance or supervision of action or conduct, management
  2. the address placed on the outside of a letter or package to be delivered, superscription
  3. an explicit instruction, order
  4. direction by two or more people working together, joint direction
  5. a description (as of a character or setting) or direction (as to indicate stage business) provided in the text of a play

Directions (verb)

  1. to direct or manage (something, such as one's work, study, or investments) for or by oneself
  2. to direct or guide oneself, to make choices for or by oneself
  3. to serve as the director of something (such as a play) in which one also performs

Directions (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned

    "we were given very specific directions for the first part of the exam"

    similar: behests, charges, commandments, commands, decrees, dictates, directives, dos, edicts, imperatives, injunctions, instructions, orders, words
    related: demands, requirements, mandates, countermands, counterorders, laws, precepts, prescriptions, prescripts, rules, ordinances, regulations, statutes
    near: appeals, entreaties, petitions, pleas, urgings, proposals, recommendations, suggestions

  2. the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something

    "working under the close direction of the engineering supervisor"

    similar: administrations, care, charges, conducts, controls, governances, governments, guidance, handlings, intendances, managements, operations, oversights, presidencies, regulations, stewardships, superintendences, superintendencies, supervisions
    related: generalships, leaderships, rulerships, agencies, aegises, custodies, guardianships, laps, protections, trusts, tutelages, wards, logistics, machinations, manipulations, coadministrations, codirections

  3. a guiding or motivating purpose or principle

    "a life that seemed to lack any direction other than the mindless pursuit of empty pleasures"

    similar: compasses, cynosures, foci, lodestars, polestars
    related: benchmarks, criteria, grades, marks, measures, pars, standards, touchstones, yardsticks, aims, ambitions, aspirations, dreams, goals, intentions, objectives, objects, purposes, targets

  4. a prevailing or general movement or inclination

    "some older people worry about the overall direction that political discourse has taken lately"

    similar: currents, drifts, leanings, runs, tendencies, tides, trends, winds
    related: curves, downsides, shifts, swings, turnabouts, turns, upsides, customs, habits, propensities, tenors, ways, countercurrents, countertrends, undercurrents, undertows

Related Entry: Direction (noun)

Direction is a different word from Directions. The synonyms below are for direction, not for directions.

  1. a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned

    "we were given very specific directions for the first part of the exam"

    similar: behest, charge, command, commandment, decree, dictate, directive, do, edict, imperative, injunction, instruction, order, word
    related: demand, requirement, mandate, countermand, counterorder, law, precept, prescript, prescription, rule, ordinance, regulation, statute
    near: appeal, entreaty, petition, plea, urging, proposal, recommendation, suggestion

  2. the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something

    "working under the close direction of the engineering supervisor"

    similar: administration, care, charge, conduct, control, governance, government, guidance, handling, intendance, management, operation, oversight, presidency, regulation, running, stewardship, superintendence, superintendency, supervision
    related: generalship, leadership, rulership, agency, aegis, custody, guardianship, keeping, lap, protection, safekeeping, trust, tutelage, ward, engineering, logistics, machination, manipulation, coadministration, codirection, comanagement

  3. a guiding or motivating purpose or principle

    "a life that seemed to lack any direction other than the mindless pursuit of empty pleasures"

    similar: compass, cynosure, focus, lodestar, polestar
    related: benchmark, criterion, grade, mark, measure, par, standard, touchstone, yardstick, aim, ambition, aspiration, dream, goal, intention, object, objective, purpose, target

  4. a prevailing or general movement or inclination

    "some older people worry about the overall direction that political discourse has taken lately"

    similar: current, drift, leaning, run, tendency, tide, trend, wind
    related: curve, downside, shift, swing, turn, turnabout, upside, custom, habit, propensity, tenor, way, countercurrent, countertrend, undercurrent, undertow

Related Entry: Codirections (noun)

Codirections is a different word from Directions. The synonyms below are for codirections, not for directions.

  1. as in coadministrations

    similar: coadministrations, logistics, machinations, manipulations, aegises, custodies, guardianships, laps, protections, trusts, tutelages, wards, agencies, generalships, leaderships, rulerships, administrations, care, charges, conducts, controls, directions, governances, governments, guidance, handlings, intendances, managements, operations, oversights, presidencies, regulations, stewardships, superintendences, superintendencies, supervisions

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Directions

The most common words with a similar meaning to Directions:

behests, charges, commandments, commands, decrees, dictates, directives, dos, edicts, imperatives, injunctions, instructions, orders, words, administrations, care, conducts, controls, governances, governments, guidance, handlings, intendances, managements, operations, oversights, presidencies, regulations, stewardships, superintendences, superintendencies, supervisions, compasses, cynosures, foci, lodestars, polestars, currents, drifts, leanings

Related Words for Directions

demands, requirements, mandates, countermands, counterorders, laws, precepts, prescriptions, prescripts, rules, ordinances, statutes, generalships, leaderships, rulerships, agencies, aegises, custodies, guardianships, laps, protections, trusts, tutelages, wards, logistics, machinations, manipulations, coadministrations, codirections, benchmarks

Near Antonyms of Directions

appeals, entreaties, petitions, pleas, urgings, proposals, recommendations, suggestions

Word Forms of Directions

Inflections: codirections, co-directions, self-directed, self-directing, self-directs

Derived words: directionless (adjective), directionlessness (noun), self-directing (adjective), self-direction (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Directions

First known use: 15th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Directions

What does "Directions" mean?

"Directions" means guidance or supervision of action or conduct, management. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: guidance or supervision of action or conduct, management. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Directions"?

Other words for "Directions" include behests, charges, commandments, commands, decrees, dictates, directives and dos. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Directions" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Directions"?

There are 109 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Directions". Common alternatives include behests, charges, commandments, commands, decrees, dictates, directives, dos, edicts and imperatives.

How do you use "Directions" in a sentence?

Examples of "Directions" in a sentence: "we were given very specific directions for the first part of the exam"; "working under the close direction of the engineering supervisor"; "a life that seemed to lack any direction other than the mindless pursuit of empty pleasures".

Is "Directions" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Directions" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Directions"?

"Directions" is pronounced /də-ˈrek-shən/ as a noun, /ˌkō-də-ˈrek-shən/ as a noun and /ˌself-də-ˈrekt/ as a verb and divided into syllables as di·rec·tion.

What is the origin of the word "Directions"?

First known use: 15th century.

What is another word for "Directions" meaning "a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned"?

When "Directions" (noun) means a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned, synonyms include behests, charges, commandments, commands, decrees and dictates.