dictionarese

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A form of dictionaryese — The style of language used in dictionary definitions, characterized by dry, straightforward, and occasionally awkward phrasing.

Scrabble 15
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Meanings

noundictionarese (uncountable)
  1. alternativeuncountableAlternative form of dictionaryese.

    With my average classes, once the word has been correctly guessed, I put its meaning on the board in the vernacular, rather than in "dictionarese."

    1971, Judy Chambers, “The Visual Approach to Vocabulary”, in Mildred G. McClosky, editor, Teaching Strategies and Classroom Realities, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., →ISBN, page 221

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

tricosadiene
Cite this entry
APA

dictionarese. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dictionarese

MLA

“dictionarese.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dictionarese. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dictionarese,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dictionarese.

Source: dictionarese on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.