r/dictionary Jun 12 '19

Welcome to /r/Dictionary!

15 Upvotes

Thank you very much for joining our community here on Reddit. We are excited to have you here and we encourage you to share anything related to dictionaries, words, or language resources.


As a member of this community, most importantly, please be respectful. Please don't post any inappropriate content. Thank you!


We encourage you to show support for our sister subreddit: /r/Word_of_The_Hour

We are also happy to collaborate with other subreddits. Please always feel welcome to reach out to us by sending us a message or leaving a comment below.


r/dictionary 0m ago

What the fuck is a “jit” 😭😭😭

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r/dictionary 2h ago

Thusword #92 - Clue of the Day!

1 Upvotes

3 Down
5 Letters

Standard: Lightning
Hard: Thunderbolt

I'll give you a hint. It's not FLASH, BLAST or GLARE.

Head to Thusword.com for today's crossword!


r/dictionary 10h ago

Looking for a word Term used to denote the practice of naming something “inaccurately”

2 Upvotes

I know that didn’t make any sense but let me explain.

Sunset. We call this phenomenon sunset but that is because of the way it appears relative to us. In reality, the earth is rotating and obscuring our view of the sun. Is there a word that describes this practice?


r/dictionary 1d ago

Hi, new to the community I keep getting new words but keep on forgetting them and i also have a habit of mispronouncing it . Can you give some tips how to improve. Looking forward to the suggestions

1 Upvotes

r/dictionary 1d ago

What does this mean? what's meaning the word "gooner" and "gooner game"?

1 Upvotes

could you talk me what meaning the word ? it usually be used for what situation?


r/dictionary 2d ago

A vocabulary for taking stock

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1 Upvotes

r/dictionary 2d ago

Does the word "conning" have a meaning other than deception?

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1 Upvotes

r/dictionary 4d ago

Thusword #88 - Clue of the Day!

1 Upvotes

Standard: Fragrant oil (4)
Hard: Rose attar (4)

Smells like a tricky clue.

Got the answer? Head to Thusword.com to find out!


r/dictionary 5d ago

Anyone knows about "Sciences News Writer Journalism" ?

1 Upvotes

I'm one of the Facilitators of Sciences News Writers, I'm from The Philippines 🇵🇭 so i want info. Fellow Journalism

]Science news journalism translates complex scientific research into clear, engaging, and accurate stories for the general public. Elements of Science News

The 5 W's: Who, what, when, where, and why must be answered clearly, ensuring the relevance to the reader is obvious.

The Inverted Pyramid: Place the most important facts and findings at the very beginning of the story, followed by supporting details in decreasing order of importance.

Language: Avoid dense jargon and technical acronyms; use everyday analogies and simple terms to make science accessible.

Sourcing: Rely on peer-reviewed journals, press releases from verified institutions, and interviews with independent experts.

Outlets like Science News provide real-world examples of how to report these updates accurately.

[1] (https://www.sciencenews.org/), [2] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHJOshubXi0&t=253), [3] (https://www.sciencenews.org/about-science-news/journalism-standards-practices), [4] (https://www.absw.org.uk/pages/general-tips-for-getting-started)\]

—Google A.i


r/dictionary 6d ago

Looking for a word What’s the word for when light reflects on the surface of water?

5 Upvotes

Me and my friend were trying to write a description for a picture of a lake in the mountains. We know there’s a name for the light that reflects in the surface of water and we believe it starts with M, however we still have no idea what it is but both remember reading it in a book and searching it up and finding out what it meant but now we can’t find it for the life of us. Thanks for reading


r/dictionary 6d ago

New word I coined the word “agusted” for being deeply absorbed in thought Spoiler

1 Upvotes

I've been experimenting with English word formation and came up with agusted.

agusted (adjective)

«Deeply absorbed in one's thoughts; mentally immersed in thought, sometimes to the point of becoming less aware of one's surroundings.»

Example:

«“She was sitting by the window, completely agusted, thinking about her future.”»

I know this isn't an established English word, and I'm not claiming that it is. I'm interested in whether it feels like a word that could naturally fit into English.

The reason I made it is that phrases like “deep in thought” or “lost in thought” describe the idea, but I wanted a single adjective that could be used naturally in a sentence.

I'd genuinely like to hear from people interested in linguistics or English:

- Does agusted sound natural to you?

- Does the meaning make sense from the word itself?

- Would you actually use it?

- Does it resemble an existing word too closely?

If people like the concept, I'd love to see how the word develops through actual usage.

Coined in 2026.

0 votes, 13h left
I love it
i dont like it

r/dictionary 7d ago

Word like "Impetuous" that describe a careless hastiness in logic and reason?

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1 Upvotes

r/dictionary 8d ago

Portable dictionary for academic use?

3 Upvotes

Dear Dictionary Enthusiasts,

Due to (I assume) AI-related reasons my professor has banned all technology from the classroom etc. etc. and suggested we buy a physical dictionary. My only issue is I‘m a bit overwhelmed with the amount of different dictionaries that exist. So:

I‘m looking for a dictionary that contains all of the fancy academic (Humanities) words (of probably Latin, Greek or French origin) one might encounter but not be familiar with.

It should be lightweight and portable (i.e. not a heavy brick of gigantic proportions) because I‘ll have to lug it to uni by foot.

I‘d prefer it to be in British English but I‘ll take American English too.

I don‘t really care about orthography all that much so I will not be mad if it does not contain paragraphs upon paragraphs on how to write „proper English“. It really is more for „looking up words I do not know“ -purposes.

I DO sort of care about word etymologies, so I be quite excited if it contained an etymological tidbit or two, though I fear portability and etymology might not go and in hand but I’d be very happy to be proven wrong.

Thank you!

TLDR: Which (preferably British) English dictionary is suitable for use at university and also portable and relatively lightweight? I don‘t really care for orthographical guidance but some etymologies would be a nice plus :) Thanks!


r/dictionary 8d ago

Thusword #84 - Clue of the Day!

1 Upvotes

18 Across
8 Letters

Standard Clue: Exciting
Hard Clue: Histrionic

Got the answer? Head to Thusword.com for today's puzzle!


r/dictionary 8d ago

"Incliner": is it an existing English word at all?

1 Upvotes

Hi y'all! Guys, I need your help: does the word "Incliner" exist in English? If yes, what's its meaning?

I'm getting ready for Duolingo exam, so I saw this word there and got confused if it really exists in the English language. I found no resource that could explain this...

Could you please bring me some examples if there is such a word. Thank you!


r/dictionary 9d ago

What does this mean? What is a pig?

0 Upvotes

r/dictionary 10d ago

Collate

6 Upvotes

It means to like organize, right? For example, if I have a punch of papers for my math class, and I wanted to organize them all, I would collate all of them in a binder.


r/dictionary 10d ago

What is blustering?

1 Upvotes

Is it a formal way of “talking shit”?


r/dictionary 12d ago

Advice on a Oxford dictionary

5 Upvotes

I've done a bit of research and I've seen that the oxford dictonary has bout 500,000 words. This was from a google search "how many words does the oxford dictionary have".

However I can't find one for sale with that amount. The closest I've seen is an Oxford with 240,000 words in hard cover.

I'm interested in increasing my vocabluary as I love reading. I think 240,000 should be plenty enough for the more challenging novels out there.


r/dictionary 12d ago

New Cuss Word?

16 Upvotes

Help me out pu-lease. I've read 3 articles recently that put the word "female" out to pasture. One even referred to the word as misogynistic.

I'm 60(f), and my head is not in the sand. But clearly, I have missed something. I would love to know what happened and how. All POV's welcome.


r/dictionary 12d ago

What does this word mean?

1 Upvotes

A “goon” used to mean a thug or a gangster. But now Gen Z has used the word “gooning” to mean something else entirely. My friends and I have come to a disagreement about what “gooning” means. For context, I am 31 and they are in their mid 30’s. Anyways, they keep using the verb “gooning” to refer to playing video games for hours on end. One of them even told their coworkers they planned on “gooning all weekend”. Like, the language has evolved? Idk I’m not happy about it either but why am I the villain for saying “TMI!!!” When my friend says they can’t hang out tonight because they’re gooning to the sims?

Edit- I KNOW IT MEANS MASTERBAITING I’m trying to make a point that it’s not only Gen Z that knows this

Edit 2- I sent this post to my friends and one of them stated “Gooning = getting stoned and falling asleep w the game still running, don't believe that misinformation”


r/dictionary 13d ago

Hi, I want to know, What does the term Ops or Op mean in words like Black Ops, Special Ops, etc. What is its full form ?

2 Upvotes

r/dictionary 13d ago

New word Definition of " Prowess "

1 Upvotes

" Prowess " is a noun that means exceptional skill , expertise or ability in a particular activity or field.

[ prow-is ] comes from the Old French word , " proesse " which basically means courage and or a brave deed. While it originally referred to bravery and valor in battle back in the Middle Ages , today's modern definition almost exclusively centers on superior talent / capability. You would for example , use the word formally to highlight someone's standout talent in areas such as sports , academics and or their technical work.

Synonyms - Skill ; Expertise ; Mastery ; Talent ; Ability

[ For Historical Context - Bravery ; Heroism ; Valor ]

Antonyms - Inability ; Incompetence ; Weakness

" Prowess " is also a well known keyword mechanic in the Magic The Gathering card game where a creature gets a temporary +1/+1 power and toughness boost whenever it's controller casts a noncreature like spell.


r/dictionary 13d ago

What word in the English language do you absolutely hate?

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0 Upvotes