Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary & Thesaurus, Electronic Edition

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Summary: An essential desktop reference for the discerning user
Review: The Merriam-Webster Collegiate is your father's dictionary, and is proud of the fact. The Collegiate is steeped in tradition, being the result of over a hundred years of dedicated linguistic scholarship based on sound lexicographical principles. This dictionary evinces a scholarly tenor which sets it apart from its closest competitors. It does not dumb down the language. It assumes the user is more interested in expanding his knowledge of English, than in trendy, glib, and opinionated answers. But that is NOT to say that the Collegiate is stuffy or lacks vitality. On the contrary, it is a wonderful storehouse of the most current idioms, Americanisms, slang, and technical terms, all defined with remarkable precision. In the interest of intellectual honesty, it also has all the four letter words that earlier generations found too offensive to be included in the dictionary.

The Collegiate is similar enough to its competitors that it can be used easily for checking spelling or pronunciations, while its definitions are on a slightly higher level, and generally convey fuller information than the others. The word stock is a bit more extensive than its closest rivals as well. The many synonym studies are very helpful to those who wish to hone their writing skills and vocabulary. The dating of the first appearance of words is a fascinating feature, not found in any other desk dictionary, and lends historical interest to the work.

The superlative nature of this dictionary is not readily apparent, but becomes evident over time. I own four desk dictionaries and consult them all, but it is the Merriam-Webster Collegiate that I have come to value the most. Some things just keep getting better with age, and the Collegiate is undoubtedly one.

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Summary: Some things we never outgrow...
Review: How can anyone do without this book? If we are reverent readers, we will often come across new words, or evolving words or perhaps old words whose deeper meaning we want to understand, in context with what we are reading. This dictionary has been a great pal to keep by my side as I read. Clear writing, great info, just a "must have". It uses the clearest print style available, but do keep those reading glasses handy....