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Dictionaries and Thesauri
Below, we’ve provide links to the dictionaries and thesauri that have online interfaces. If English is not your first language, see the ESL Resources page for dictionaries designed for advanced students of English.
General Dictionaries
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary—Over 450,000 entries; you’ll need a UCLA logon ID and password.
Merriam-Webster OnLine—Over 225,000 entries; based on the print version of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.).
The Oxford Dictionary of English—Over 355,000 entries; you’ll need a UCLA logon ID and password.
The New Oxford American Dictionary—Over 250,000 entries; you’ll need a UCLA logon ID and password.
Historical Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary Online—Over 500,000 entries; the OED is really useful when you want to know the evolution of a word’s meaning and identify the first recorded usages. You’ll need a UCLA logon ID and password.
Thesauri
The Oxford American Thesaurus of Current English—Over 15,000 headwords and 350,000 synonyms; you’ll need a UCLA logon ID and password.
Merriam-Webster OnLine—Make sure to select the “Thesaurus” button. It’s unclear whether this is based on the print version of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Thesaurus, which has over 340,000 entries.
Roget’s International Thesaurus—The classic 1922 work; it’s unclear how many entries there are.
This page was created by Andrea Olinger. To suggest a resource or report a broken link, email the GWC at gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu.
