Illustrated Reverse Dictionary

by Reader's Digest Association and Reader's Digest

Book Overview

Everyone has experienced the frustration of forgetting a familiar word--a word on the tip of the tongue that might as well be a million miles away. With more than 70,000 entries, this unique... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 089577352X
• ISBN13: 9780895773524
• Release Date: March 1991
• Publisher: Reader's Digest Association
• Length: 608 Pages
• Weight: 3.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 7.9" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

Enamored with Words?

This is a muser's dictionary. You know, the kind of guy or gal who has no intention of finding anything specifically, but will hunker down and read what others consider reference. Reference, schmeference! Dictionaries are not mean for bookshelves, but to be devoured and enjoyed! And with the "Readers Digest Illustrated Reverse Dictionary" you get a great book to do that with. On one hand, it acts like the standard dictionaries. Look up a word, get a definition. It goes beyond this, though. Rather than getting bogged down by linguistics and pronunciation indexes, you'll be greeted by a bevy of charts and lists organizing words. It isn't quite a thesaurus, but it isn't a dictionary either. It is somewhere in-between, and something new in the midst of it all. For those among us smitten by words and all the curiosity that goes with them, this is a book to feast on. Be assured that the "Illustrated Reverse Dictionary" won't be the only dictionary you'll need. Far from it, but it is a lot of fun. There are other great dictionaries to be reckoned with, from "The New Oxford American Dictionary," which defines words with clarity, to the big kahuna of them all, to the highly unusual "The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate." Then there is the collection of esoteric but high-scoring words, the "Scrabble Dictionary," to the mighty "Oxford English Dictionary." There is a wily world of wondrous words wisping whilst you read. Go get them! I fully recommend "Readers Digest Illustrated Reverse Dictionary." Anthony Trendl editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Wonderful resource

I am one who is very interested in miscellaneous information, and this book is plentiful in it. The Illustrated Reverse Dictionary is a wonderful tool for learning new things, like law terminology and types of cheeses. Don't laugh; haven't you ever wondered what Munster cheese was exactly? Haven't you ever wondered what "habeas corpus" meant? If you're hungry for knowledge and trivial facts, this book is ripe for the picking.

Find the word on the tip of your tongue.

Like a box full of chocolates with a surprise in every wrapper, this book is filled with delights.The Reverse Dictionary is one of my favorite books, the place where I can always find the right word. Not only are words defined as they are in a standard dictionary, but this dictionary provides alternatives with their meanings as it relates to the selected word:This is an example from the book:deceive -- See also cheat - deceive, pretending to be something or someone that is not -- masquerade, dissemble- deceive or flatter with smooth charming talk-- blarney- easily deceived, fooled, or duped -- credulous, gullibleThe next entries in the Reverse Dictionary are for deception, then deceptive which give you additional routs to finding perfection.In addition to the thesaurus quality of the book, there are charts, maps, and pictures. By using the quick table for German terms I discover that the meaning of Junker is "a former Prussian aristocrat." Also if you have wondered what the mathematical symbols or therapy (rolfing) terms mean the answer is in this book. One of the most interesting charts is a tree diagram of the Indo-European Languages. Providing multiple variations of the same word and additional thesaurus options makes this book an excellent choice. When coupled with the many graphics and tables it is easy to see that this tool is for students, writers, teachers, lecturers, and everyone else.This is such an interesting book that it is difficult to classify it as a reference tool.. It is, without doubt, worth five stars.

This book is helpful to find "le mot juste".

Many times I know what I want to express, except I don't know how to exactly articulate my meaning.. This book gives me the resources to fully verbalize my ideas, using the approprate vocabulary and word nuances.