: Re: Does Wiktionary supply what writers need in an online dictionary? There are actually Wiktionaries for many languages and the English Wiktionary also defines and translates words of many other languages.

@Dunderdale623

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Here's the perspective of an editor who does some writing on the side:

It depends on what you need in a dictionary. When editing UK writers, I usually use Cambridge, I think I'd continue to use that or Merriam-Webster when trying to convince a writer, I do not think the word you used means what you think it means.

Technical writers or those in other specialized fields might want a different dictionary altogether. Academic writers should be using whatever dictionary their institution favors. If you're writing or editing to a particular style guide, that guide will have a preferred dictionary. (For example. AP uses Webster, Chicago is fine with either Webster or Merriam-Webster.)

As to how useable it is for everyday work, I'd rather use Cambridge or Webster. Both have easier-to-use interfaces, and Wikitionary often feels a bit like overkill to me. It tends to dwell on etymology and sourcing a bit too much to be practical for what I do. It might be a good place to get the general idea of a word, similar to how Wikipedia is a good place to go to start research on an unfamiliar topic.

In summary, while I wouldn't use it as an authority, but it has a place in my Editing > Dictionaries bookmarks folder.

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