Merriam-Webster

A classic descriptivist guide, MWDEU evaluates contentious issues in the English language through an examination of historical usage and commentary. Its counsel is constructive, broadminded, and entertaining.

Each entry includes clear and astute analysis, a historical overview of usage and interpretation, and repeated advice to judge for oneself. The lasting impression is of being treated without condescension as a person with the good sense to assess the evidence and arguments and to make show more up one’s own mind.

Likely to appeal to anyone interested in the evolution and modern application of English grammar and usage. show less

This is the dictionary I've had near me most of my life, since my mother gave me my first copy (maybe 5th edition) in about 1952. Unless a word is brand new, or technical jargon, if it isn't in this collegiate dictionary I hesitate to use it.
No one dictionary is perfect, but this one comes closer than any of the others I've tried.

Of course I mostly use the online Merriam-Webster's dictionary, but there are some times when only the paper version is satisfying.

Update, 12th edition, December show more 2025:
This edition is improved in almost every way.

Since I ordinarily use a dictionary to find what a word means, not its derivation, the best thing they have done in the 12th edition is to, finally, move etymology information to the end of listings, instead of its previous location right after pronunciation info.

What I do miss is the failure to use International Phonetic Alphabet ((IPA) pronunciation symbols. This is true of almost every American dictionary, paper or digital, where each publisher uses their own silly special set of symbols.

I don't miss the special topic sections at the end of earlier editions of the Collegiate. They were all limited and didn't replace other reference books.

Another thing I do like is the lighter, more agile font, with more whitespace between lines and wider margins, all of which improves readability. Of course, at my age I need glasses to make out text, but the dark, heavy characters of earlier editions were definitely harder for me to read.

The lighter type is a bit of a shock at first but proves itself after a actually reading this great new dictionary. show less

I like the alphabetical arrangement--rather than phonetic arrangement--of this rhyming dictionary. It seems much simpler to find what you're looking for, even compared with a rhyming dictionary that has an index of words at the back. This book offers no instruction on poetic forms or discussion of rhymes other than pure rhymes, but I think its simplicity will have me coming back to it again and again.

This book is very wordy, verbose, and repetitious; it routinely uses multiple synonyms where a single well-chosen option would do, and sacrifices brevity and clarity for the sake of long words of obscure origin and infrequent usage.

Reading this book is difficult, not only due to the voluminous vocabulary, but because the text is rendered in incoherent phrases, among which grammatical sentences are rare. The text is supplemented by occasional illustrations; these are confined to small line show more drawings rendered in black ink, usually to illustrate an obscure object or animal.

The best feature of this book is its organization. A reader seeking all words beginning with a particular letter will find the page tabs very useful. What's more, although an index to the many terms and concepts is entirely lacking, the reader will have little difficulty finding them in the text itself due to the author's odd predilection for alphabetization. Anyone at a loss for words will find plenty of them here. However, casual readers will be unlikely to find that this book holds their interest beyond the first few pages. show less