We’re in a paradoxical time for dictionaries, claims Stefan Fatsis. On the one hand, we’re bombarded by words and ways to understand them in this lexically intense, linguistically charged political and cultural moment. On the other hand, the dictionary is struggling. Merriam-Webster—struggling to keep up with AI, machine learning software, and the explosion of voices vying for authority over what words mean—must evolve or compromise on the care put into defining words. But Merriam-Webster isn’t unique, and neither is language, for that matter, in its position within a (political) economy. Throughout NYT-bestselling author Stefan Fatsis’ book, Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) the Modern Dictionary, readers learn about lexical histories, Merriam-Webster’s backstory, word-enthusiast subcultures, and the importance of a dictionary&#39;s measured, apolitical approach to language. As Stefan says, “the demand for life or death information—objective, solid, reality based information that a dictionary like Merriam Webster provides is critical to the functioning of democracy in a civil society.” So there you have it: the thrill and threat to the modern dictionary. It’s a paradox; hopefully an escapable one.<a href="https://www.bystefanfatsis.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Stefan Fatsis Website </a><a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/unabridged/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Unabridged - Grove Atlantic Site </a><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/10/dictionary-survival-language-evolution/683976/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Is This the End of the Dictionary?</a> - Atlantic OpEd <a href="https://americandialect.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-Word-of-the-Year-PRESS-RELEASE.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">American Dialect Society Selects rawdog as 2024 Word of the Year</a> <a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/777344/perplexity-lawsuit-encyclopedia-britannica-merriam-webster" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster sue Perplexity AI for copyright and trademark infringement | The Verge</a><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/555914/true-color-by-kory-stamper/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">True Color by Kory Stamper </a><a href="https://qz.com/973992/a-lexicographer-explains-why-dictionaries-contain-words-like-fuck" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Here’s why “fuck” is in the dictionary</a> <a href="https://english.illinois.edu/directory/profile/russellr" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Lindsay Rose Russell</a>   <a href="https://aceseditors.org/peter-sokolowski" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Peter Sokolowski</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1VlBEyUPyhfzRmAoZe5lV2?si=3639e28fc3564c22" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Ben Zimmer’s episode on Tomayto Tomahto </a><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1syPg89tUWxR81FqQHX1VR?si=7a844133122b4846" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Nicole Holliday’s episode on Tomayto Tomahto </a>

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