English Language Learners Stack Exchange
English Language Learners Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [dictionaries]

For questions about English dictionaries

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How much should I trust Wiktionary?

My first reference that I use for English words is Wiktionary. I primarily do so because it's a not-for-profit project, so I don't have to worry about it suddenly charging for subscriptions, or that it will have advertising that links to…
Golden Cuy
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Meaning of 'stark'

What is the meaning of stark? I have got from Cambridge dictionary: empty, simple or obvious, especially without decoration or anything which is not necessary; severe or extreme Simple and severe are two opposite words. So how they give us same…
Laser-boy
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Local English-English dictionaries

Are there local English-English dictionaries, for example, Aussies, Kiwis, etc their own? I guess there may be some good needs or reasons to upload their own vocabularies and pronunciations, but I’ve never heard they are existed.
Listenever
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does stutter only refer to speech?

Can an action be stuttered? Or is it only referring to talking only? I see in the dictionary that it means to speak in such a way that the rhythm is interrupted by repetitions. What if an action is interrupted by repetitions? would that also be…
Nah Man
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Reference for the level of formality of words and expressions

I often wonder how formal a words or expression is (e.g. Is “by way of conclusion" more formal than "In conclusion"?). Is there some comprehensive reference that would list the level of formality of words and expressions as accurately as…
Franck Dernoncourt
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the "QUITE" tag in Cambridge Dictionary

According to Cambridge Dictionary, fairly means "more than average, but less than very" while "quite" means "completely". I totally understand the definition of them, though I don't understand the "QUITE" tag in the definition of "fairly". What…
JQQ
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how do you use merriam webster dictionary?

I have a problem using Merriam-Webster dictionary. I can't use it properly. For example, if we search for Cramped in Google it says uncomfortably small or restricted. But I can't find any meaning that matches the Google's translation in…
BAO Z
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sentence from Cambridge dictionary: ‘his’ vs. ‘he'

Is this sentence from Cambridge dictionary correct? He was there and saw what happened, so his is the only authentic account. (from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/authentic) I am wondering why it says ‘his’ and not ‘he’,
Houman
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What do these [Greek alphabet] forms in the OED signify?

I underlined them in red beneath. Screenshot:
user8712
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Why isn't there a structure of "express something (to somebody)" in the dictionary?

Ok, now, in Oxford dictionary: to express: to show or make known a feeling, an opinion, etc. by words, looks or actions source so they got the structure "express something", ex: "Teachers have expressed concern about the changes". However, there…
Tom
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Is it possible that the meanings of some words don't appear on the dictionary?

In just under two weeks, my first year at Yale will officially come to a close. It may be cliché, but it feels like just yesterday I walked through the gates of Morse College on an impossibly hot day to start my college…
user183853
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Are there dictionaries giving knowledge on countability of nouns?

Is there any dictionary, online or physical, that gives information on whether a noun is countable or not?
Yes
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How to understand the annotation "also"

I'm sometimes confused by notations from the dictionary. Simply put, I don't understand what it is trying to convey. Here is one example. 2.4 (also times) A portion of time in history or characterized by particular events or…
ForOU
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The US/British tag on Merriam-Webster

On the Definition of in school page of Merriam-Webster, the US tag is used. While the Definition of at school page uses the British tag. Does that kind of tag indicate where the item is being used? In this example, Americans use "in school" while…
JQQ
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the grammatical roles of "at most"

I just looked up "at (the) most" in "Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English". It was under the entry for "most" as determiner and/or pronoun. One of the example sentences for it in the dictionary is: It’ll take 20 minutes at the most. But I…
shapoor
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