Should I still trust Merriam-Websters as a dictionary? As in looking up words I'm not sure of and mostly archaic or very hi-falutin ones?

submitted by RichardsonDavis from self.whatever

I'm not very comfy with using Wiktionary and stuff because I just see it as urban dictionary with extra steps and besides it's a Wikipedia subsidiary so I am already gussing there is plenty of woke definitions that would put Merriam-Websters to shame. Although I did check the definition of woman and it says a female human being so maybe that man who went mad and threatened Merriam-Websters wasn't yeah.

I'm not much for boycotting but I never really found a reason to stop using Merriam-Webster save for their awful app. Uninstalled that shit years ago.

Maybe articles and conservative news outlets telling me that Webster's is woke and not present a list of terms that would be woke. Maybe I should just avoid terms that would hold political connotations in the modern Western cultural war landscape such as man, woman, sexual preference. Maybe I should still use it on terms that I am not familiar with, and keep using it till the day I find a better alternative.

I just posted here to maybe have my line of thinking criticized.

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[–]AXXA👁⃤웃 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

Merriam-Webster changed the definition of "vaccine".

https://web.archive.org/web/20210118194713/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine

https://web.archive.org/web/20210126065143/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine

[–]RichardsonDavis[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Well, one was broad and the other was specific and unless you are privy to what that certain specific one then you can see this is as them shoving down one's throat. Personally, I find the old definition, the broad one much better as it isn't specific. Vaccines are just dead things to better the immune system.

Anyway, vaccine is a word I am very familiar with but I understand that having the new definition may raise some eyebrows amongst those who are in a certain region. I would like to point out that English is a lingua franca and that not many are privy to the vaccine controversy that is omnipresent in the West.

As proved by an experiment, I had with my English speaking friend. I asked them which definition they find better and they found the newer one more appealing.

I get the idea of the reply, if I may permit myself of saying so and that since the second definition that Webster changed is prolly only eyebrow raising in some areas of the world then I can say that this is not convincing enough for me to abandon it entirely. I now know that terms that are used in US daily life are being shifted, but as I am not living in the US, I use Webster's to just define terms that I have never seen before and I don't use it much this doesn't really make me wanna abandon it. Out of principle, principle of American values that I do not hold, yeah I don't think so.

Hope this argument satisfies saidit's triangle, if not please do tell me my mistakes. I will greatly appreciate. And I wish you good sir, a nice day.

[–]IMissPorn 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

If you're fine with changing the definition of words for political purposes like this, then I see no reason you shouldn't trust the rest of the dictionary.

[–]RichardsonDavis[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I don't see how the rest of the world should see this change as political if the only ones who may have a problem with it are the ones in the more libertarian parts of the world, mainly the United States. I understand that since this term has been changed to somewhat fit the times, no, okay I will admit that this change is political but I would like to point out that this term is one of the more common ones. I'm actually surprised words like vaccine or woman gets changed but not the more fanciful words.

I have a question, should I abandon this dictionary for your principles? I mean no offense by this but I genuinely ask this question.

[–]IMissPorn 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Well, why not just buy an old one (you know, in dead tree format)?

[–]RichardsonDavis[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

If I can find one. I'd like to have one actually. And if I can afford it. Until then I'll take my chances with the online one. I apologize if I am quite a frustrating person to deal with.