Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged - Largest, Most Comprehensive Printed American Dictionary

I am pleased with the W3. But let me get to its disadvantages first. If you're used to reading without glasses, its small font will task your eyes (see photo for comparison). The typeface of the smaller M-W paperback dictionary, though also tiny, is bolder hence more legible. I understand why for some folks this is more than just a passing irritation. I use reading glasses so I can manage. At almost 6 kg it looks like it can crush a small animal. If you want a dictionary that you can easily grab and quickly find a word in, especially new words, the W3 is not the one you should buy, but something like the M-W Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition, or its paperback version. It's not as up-to-date as it should be. I knew this beforehand, so it's not a deal breaker. Here’s what I love about it. This issue bears all the signs of a premium, brand new book: decent binding, good paper, neat, and presentable. The board covers are wrapped in blue leather-like material for durability. It's printed in November 2023, in India, practically hot off the press. It was shipped in its thin advertising box that you can keep. I have a few dictionaries now, primarily because I'm fond of them: unabridged, college editions, hardcovers, and handy paperbacks. All of them are great for their purpose. Where the W3 excels is its brilliant coverage of English in the early 20th century, and in its in-depth definitions. This is particularly useful to me since English is my second language. For instance, I often hear politicians contending and one of them will say that his rival’s attacks are just politics. My abridged dictionaries will define politics as having to do with governance; also maneuvering and scheming. But the W3 will go on to give the meaning that clarifies the context for me. Politics 4 a (1): political affairs or business; specifically: competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership.. c: political activities characterized by artful often dishonest practices especially in securing success of political parties or candidates. For U$80 new at amazon, who also covers the shipping cost, I think the W3 is a good value. I sprayed specks of acrylic paint on its sides since I sometimes notice those super tiny bugs being attracted to books with plain white edges but seem to avoid speckled or painted edges. M-W has an online subscription of the Unabridged, which they regularly update. It's nice. But it lacks the full page illustrations, lists, tables, and those quaint drawings that makes the book an endearing tome. Bottom line, the W3 is still a useful dictionary for everyone, not just language enthusiasts. With the accretion of vocabulary from the 1960s to 2024 a fully updated Unabridged would be a beast of a book that won't likely see the light of day. The W3 may be the last of its kind. I'm glad to have it.

I have the OED and Merriam Webster's revered 2nd Edition (1952). The W2 is an amazing piece of scholarship, and is perhaps the best English dictionary around, including proper names from history, myth, science, etc. as well as a pronouncing gazetteer at the back. However, the Merriam Webster's 3rd (W3) has the most entries ( over 476,000) and includes a lot more scientific terms. It does not include proper names, but it very rich and dense in just about everything that could be considered an English word or a loan-word or a compound word (although I just today noticed it is missing viridarium and cupidinous, which are in W2). This huge tome is for geeks only, as it is massive and weighs a lot. I like to go through it and, with a red pen, underline interesting words. Please note that this dictionary is a bit more DESCRIPTIVE, not strictly PRESCRIPTIVE as the revered W2, which means it sometimes favors newer definitions and pronunciations. However, it is not fully descriptive, which is good, so you can always see how the word evolved over time, starting with the first definition. Love this book!

There are three important books I think no home should ever be without..1, a HOLY TEXT, 2, an ATLAS and 3,.. last but certainly not least, a good DICTIONARY. Without any doubt, THE WEBSTER'S THIRD NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY (OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE UNABRIDGED) is perhaps the greatest DICTIONARY available today. This massive, imposing book itself is very well made with a very deluxe,buckram binding, with over 2,800 pages, this is a lasting presentation. Some effort will be needed when handling,I think it weighs over eleven pounds!!. Minor drawback...the pages are very thin, so extra care is required when handling, also the print is a tad tiny, so a pair of spectacles or a magnifying glass might be handy. With over 476,000 vocabulary entries, there are more words here than any single man will ever know!!. The DICTIONARY literally exhaust itself with definitions, it is truly encyclopedic in it's totality !! a most remarkable book indeed!!. Also included is an Addenda section with 18,000 new words. Also includes CD-ROM. From the loftiest of institutions to the humblest of abodes, this DICTIONARY is a most stunning compliment. A solid investment.. very,very highly recommended...To anyone with an interest in words...This is one book you cannot afford be without...

This is the best dictionary I have ever owned. My only complaint is that when comparing words the dictionary isn't very useful. Words with the same root, but different prefixes often have almost the exact same definition. I understand that over time these words become similar, but they still are used differently in the English. I don't know if this complaint should be directed at Websters or at dictionaries in general.

I am a writer and I was looking for the best dictionary that I could find. I was reading a book on writing mysteries whrere one of the writers suggested the Webster's Third edition. I just got it and so far it has been the best dictionary that I have ever used. It is so comprehensive and it has gotten rid of the things that I don't use anyway. Thuis version has been criticised for not including proper names and geological references. I can't remember any time in my life where I looked up an historical figure of a location in the dicionary. That's what an encyclopedia is for. All that is useless in a dictionary, which is about defining words (obviously). Also some have criticized the fact that this version is descriptive and not prescriptive. Get over it. Curse words and improper words like ain't are used by millions of people in English speaking countries, not just America. Webster's decided to make a dictionary using words from the language as it is used, not how they think it should be used. Bottom line, if it's not in the Webster's Third, it's not a real word. Do yourself a favor and buy it.

Yes. A classic, big fat full-blown dictionary. I am studying some texts written by such a genius kinda guy, that I felt the need to keep a REAL dictionary next to my desk. I used to be a teacher myself, but the language is so precise and elevated that I wanted to make sure of each passage. I do not want to have to keep using the internet, and I prefer having full info on each topic. This dictionary is like having a mini-library literally at my fingertips. I did my research to make sure of the most "official" Webster version. Turns out Merriam Webster is the true "inheritor" of the mantle of Webster. My husband had a decades-old falling-apart edition that was the edition before this one. Do be aware that the best way to keep this volume safe, due to its own weight, is to store it either laying on its back or resting on its spine. I got a rolling wood book cart and use the top tilted shelf to keep the book on, and also as a book rest to hold it when open. Very, very pleased. Would buy again, if needed or for a gift.

This is the ONLY dictionary that has satisfied me. Don't get literal-minded here. Word counts sell dictionaries to the overly-literal-minded American. More words --> better dictionary? Not really. In case after case after case even other biggish Websters (big because they ramped up word count) seem to never capture the IDEA of the word. In fact, the dictionaries almost admit it in their preferatory material (a dictionary is about definition, not connotation). If you have NO idea what a word means, MAYBE the definition will help. What all the other dictionaries FAIL to do is answer this: "you know, I wonder why I picked that word?" This big Webster's Third New International is GUARANTEED TO TELL YOU WHY YOU INSTINCTIVELY PICKED THAT WORD THAT YOU DID. (Obviously I am adressing a native English speaker in this review; non-native speakers: if the weight of this book is not unweildly for you, sure you should get it too.) Today's example: revelatory. I said MathCAD (math software) is motivated by its revelatory aspect. In an Excel spreadsheet all your crazy numbers and formulas can be any kind of stuff -- and noone would be the wiser, but in MathCAD all your computations are made manifest and explicitly disclosed. But the examples are numerous. Just time after time after time I find all other dictionaries dissappointing. It's like I want to add to the entry -- "see one uses this word to make a distinction or in these sorts of uses; if you want to emphasize THAT notion instead, this is not the word, THIS is the word." This big Websters International Unabridged has all that stuff that I would add to the entry already there.

Webster's 3rd International is a terrific dictionary, but it becomes even better with this CD-ROM. The software starts up within 2 seconds of clicking the icon, and you can simply start typing the word you want to look up. "Of course," you say? Well...check out the OED, which I bought and subsequently returned. With that, it takes about 20 seconds to get started (assuming you already have the CD-ROM in your drive--otherwise it will take you longer), and then leaves you with a page full of options to choose. And then...but I digress. Let's just say the software for Webster's is just what you want--click on the icon, type the word, hit RETURN, voila. And you can double click on any word in the definition and you are instantly brought to that word's definition--which is REALLY nice. The software is good enough that it significantly enhances the value of the dictionary. And if you don't believe me, do what I did: buy the OED first, let the world's worst software package frustrate the heck out of you for a week, then return it and buy Webster's 3rd.