Noah Webster wrote the first American English dictionary in the 1806 and his name has come to be synonymous with the word "dictionary" in the US. As a result, every dictionary in the US that wants to make anysales calls itself a "Webster's."The M-W, however, is theoriginal and still the best. I have every major American English dictionaryin publication, and several British dictionaries, including the RandomHouse, the Webster's 3rd (the unabridged dictionary), Microsoft'sdictionary, the Oxford Dictionary, and several learner'sdictionaries.
Frankly, the differences among the top three,i.e., the M-W,the Random House, and the Microsoft (on CD), are not that great--choose aword like "efficiency" and see how each is defined. You mightthink they were all working together. That said, I have so say the M-W isstill my favorite. Further, the M-W dictionary is consistently rated #1 insurveys of academics and language scholar.
I am a professional languageand test preparation instructor and rely on good dictionaries for precisedefinitions of words. The M-W consistently gives clear, accuratedictionaries and apposite examples. One extra feature that helps wordlovers like me understand the words better is that M-W lists definitions inthe order that they came into use, with the most recent usage last. Thistype of listing is extremely helpful for understanding how a word hasevolved and what it is about that word that remains and what is notessential to the meaning. Such an understanding of words is essential forGRE and SAT preparation and is one of the main reasons I regularly turn tothe M-W.
In short, it's your best option for an American Englishdictionary.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary) (Hardcover)
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