Rating: 
Summary: Very good for everyday use
Review: An important issue with choosing a dictionary is finding a balance that meets your needs.My first choice of dictionaries is the 20 volume OED for depth and breadth of coverage. Some disadvantages of the OED are the price and the size. My second choice of dictionaries is the Shorter OED, which is smaller (2 volumes) and cheaper, but has about 1/3 of the entries (roughly 500,000). My third choice of dictionaries is the "New Oxford American Dictionary," which is easy to carry and use - it has roughly 250,000 words. The NOAD is handy because it has definitions arranged in order of most common usage - "core meanings" followed by related senses. It does not have the extensive literary citations that the OED and shorter OED have. My fourth choice of dictionaries is probably the Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, which has about 450,000 words. The disadvantages of this dictionary are that the main text has not been updated since 1961 (although an 89 page addenda is added at the beginning), the layout is hard to follow, and it's a bit unwieldy. Which brings me to my fifth choice of dictionaries, which is the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate dictionary. This dictionary has roughly 200,000 words, so it loses some breadth and depth of coverage. However, it's very useful for everyday use, and a nice balance between portability and breadth and depth of coverage.
Rating:
Summary: Always the first reference I reach for
Review: By updating Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary every
10-12 years, its publishers continue to provide wordsmiths, copy editors, students, teachers, and folks who simply love learning about the English language (American style) a great service and indispensable reference. Though at heart, this certainly is a robust, up-to-date dictionary, the additional reference information proves valuable for a host of purposes. The histories, guides, and lists that span the opening section should not be regarded merely as the arcane turf of lexicographers and linguists. For the most part, these are great resources worth your attention. Likewise, there are appendices that delve into such varied subject matter as foreign words and phrases, chemical element, geographical names, and a style guide. Do not be misled by the fact this volume is called a collegiate dictionary. It is also the dictionary favored by legions of copy editors charged with maintaining consistency and correctness in myriad publications of all sorts, from newspapers to newsletters. This dictionary has always been the most responsive to changes in the language, and each new edition swells by thousands of new entries. The standard features are all here of course: bold-face entries, pronunciation, economical but precise definitions and usage examples, and all the other details you need. In addition to the small, inset line drawings that grace every few pages, there are occasional half-page illustrations that expand certain terms. Sure there are going to be some errors that pundits and nitpickers will gleefully cite, but it you consider the how much information is packed into this hardback edition (I would never buy a paperback dictionary)...you can do no better.
Rating: 
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....
Rating:
Summary: Great value, great tool
Review: If you're looking for a very comprehensive dictionary on a modest budget, look no further. M-W's offering is a very fine tool indeed. It is an indispensable part of my desktop, and gets used often. Easy to install and use, I can't imagine not having it.
Rating:
Summary: An exemplary lexical reference -- for the most part.
Review: In it's promotional materials, Merriam-Webster takes pride in its large scholarly editorial staff, and huge citation files. In fact, it is a company devoted to producing high quality scholarly references, and its pride is justified. Because no dictionary can include everything, the art of producing a fine dictionary is the art of choosing wisely, what to include and what not to incorporate. Some desk dictionaries are too concerned with inflating their word stock with esoteric chemical names and proper nouns, leaving little room for the true lexical entries you are more likely to investigate. Some of these books only give a few near-synonyms to define a word. Others fill valuable space with thumb nail photos, which are fine if you want a picture book. Merriam-Webster's 10th Collegiate chooses its word stock with care. It uses font sizes and page space judiciously and therefore offers more of the information one is likely to want. It provides carefully crafted definitions, based on citational research that reveals the subtlety of connotation as well as the more obvious denoted sense. M-W's illustrative phrases are excellent, with many cited from literature. The word stock is extensive as well as current. The synonym studies are truly useful, revealing the fine shades of difference between the synonyms listed. The usage notes are based on citational evidence, not on the opinion of elitist "usage panels". When a word's usage is at issue, this dictionary gives you the facts, not opinion. It's dating of the first known appearance of words is perhaps not essential, but it is a welcome feature lending historical interest to the entries. I have only one complaint about this otherwise exemplary dictionary. It's treatment of trademark entries reveals a reluctance to report the actual usage of such terms. Taking the safe approach, it reports for example that 'band-aid' is always to be capitalized, thus: 'Band-Aid', and it defines it only in its most limited sense: "Band-Aid: trademark--used for a small adhesive strip with a gauze pad for covering minor wounds"...Trademark issues aside, this is the desk dictionary of choice. If you have never owned a Merriam-Webster Collegiate, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn how much better a desk dictionary can be. Use this reference for a year or so, and you will seldom bother with other dictionaries. If you care about the English language and value its mastery, this dictionary will inspire a passion for it. The standard edition with its bright red dust jacket, is a handsome and rugged volume. This invaluable reference is bound in sturdy boards with a durable linen covering. The thin paper stock results in a thinner volume, yet it contains more substance than the bulky thick competing books.
Rating: 
Summary: Ugly Font Makes Viewing Distasteful
Review: The font used in the entry window is plain ugly; so ugly in fact that I doubt I will replace my American Heritage Dictionary with this one. The characters are too close together and some portions of some characters are lined too heavily. My system is Microsoft Windows 2000. As a test I installed the product on another W2K system with the same result.
Other notes: it tries to install Adobe Acrobat over a more recent version.
Rating:
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.
Rating:
Summary: A thorough guide for almost all dictionary users
Review: The MW Tenth is the latest in my nearly complete collection of this company's series of dictionaries. I began with the Fifth and bought each as they were published This current edition (Tenth) has increased the size and scope of desk dictionaries -- it is much larger than many previous editions (the Eighth and Ninth are of similar size) and contains such a wealth of information that almost no one would outgrow it. I find the Tenth useful not only in itself, but in the context of its predecessors. Words change their meaning over time and a new dictionary is essential to knowing exactly where a word is at this time -- as well as using previous editions to see where it came from. I am proud to have contributed a word to the Ninth edition, still listed in the Tenth: "hizzoner." It took years of research, but how many people get their own entry in a major dictionary? The MW Tenth is a great book for just browsing and (not incidentally)learning just when a word entered the language. More "family reading" of dictionaries such as this might help young children enjoy their language.
Rating:
Summary: Just right: the convenient version of a brand-name standard
Review: The name "Webster's" long ago passed into the public domain, but three dictionaries--and the Merriam-Webster brand--survive as the lineal descendants of Noah Webster's original nineteenth-century dictionaries, the first dictionaries of American English, which have been in print continuously for almost two centuries. The 215,000-word "Collegiate Dictionary," now in its tenth edition, is the conveniently abridged harback version of the brand-name standard. The other versions are the 445,000-word "Webster's Third New International Dictionary Unabridged," which "Collegiate Dictionary" abridges; and the 70,000-word pocket-sized paperback, whose contents are a subset of this version. If the unabridged version is too much, and the pocket-sized paperback is too little, this version is just right. I keep the paperback version handy on my desk for ready reference (along with a thesaurus, a style manual, and a usage dictionary). But on the shelf nearby, within easy reach, I keep a more extensive basic reference set, including the heftier hardbound "Collegiate Dictionary." When clear and simple communication is the goal, this version is a good check against writing that is getting too high and mighty; if a word does not appear here, I think twice about using it, keeping in mind the Fowler brothers' first "general principle" of good writing: "Prefer the familiar word to the far-fetched." If you are buying one and only one dictionary, go with this version: it is more complete than the paperback version, yet stays within the realm of familiar words. But if you can manage, I recommend also stocking the paperback version. Keep the hardbound version on the shelf, within reach, and consult it as necessary; and keep the paperback version at your fingertips for readier, more routine reference.
Rating: 
Summary: For a dictionary it leaves much to be desired...
Review: The whole point of a dictionary is find the definition of words, and more often than not the words you are looking up are obscure... this dictionary lacks a lot of definitions and only works well with more common words. As a graduate student, I highly recommend you don't waste your money on this dictionary, and look elsewhere for a handy portable dictionary. This dictionary has disappointed me many times and I have found it almost useless for serious inquiries. Definitely not worth shelf space in anyone's library. If you're looking to get a dictionary, you want it to be as complete as possible... this one isn't it.
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