antidictionary
|an-ti-dic-tion-ar-y|
🇺🇸
/ˌæntiˈdɪkʃənɛri/
🇬🇧
/ˌæntiˈdɪkʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/
against a dictionary
Etymology
'antidictionary' originates from English, specifically the compound of the prefix 'anti-' and the noun 'dictionary', where 'anti-' meant 'against' (from Greek ἀντί) and 'dictionary' meant 'a book listing words and their meanings' (from Medieval Latin 'dictionarium').
'antidictionary' was formed in modern English by combining 'anti-' + 'dictionary'. The element 'dictionary' itself changed from Medieval Latin 'dictionarium' (a word-book) through Old French forms and Middle English 'dictiounarie' to modern English 'dictionary'.
As a modern coinage, it initially meant 'a work opposing or subverting an ordinary dictionary' and has been used in that figurative or playful sense since its emergence.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a (often playful or critical) compilation of nonstandard, invented, obsolete, or deliberately contrarian words and definitions that subvert or parody a conventional dictionary.
She published an antidictionary that collected local slang, invented words, and humorous definitions.
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Noun 2
a work or list that intentionally opposes prescriptive or normative definitions — for example, documenting usages that dictionaries ignore or deem unacceptable.
Linguists sometimes refer to his collection as an antidictionary because it highlights usages standard dictionaries omit.
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Noun 3
rarely, any material or approach that deliberately rejects or undermines the authority of established dictionaries or lexical standards.
The project's antidictionary approach questioned the authority of established lexicographers.
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Last updated: 2025/08/30 18:38