Dictionaries & Thesauri
Dictionaries contain brief descriptions of a word or concept, and provide standards for its spelling and usage. They can be comprehensive, or technical, for example, limited to a subject or language.
Thesauri provide synonyms and antonyms for words and phrases, which often can help you to refine word choice when writing, or target better terms for information-seeking during research.
Dictionaries and thesauri often contain additional information, such as word histories and examples of proper grammar. The online versions often have add-ons for your web browser for quick lookups, bookmarking and more.
Resources with this icon may be accessed through on-campus computers, including those located in the Libraries. However, off-campus access is restricted to current UCSD students, faculty, and staff.
| English Language Dictionaries | Abbreviations, Slang & Visual Dictionaries | Other Languages and Translators | Subject Dictionaries | Other Useful Items |
| OTHER USEFUL ITEMS * |
| Columbia Gazetteer |
| Computer User High Tech Dictionary |
| Stedman’s Medical Dictionary |
| Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names |
| McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms |
*Partial listings. There are many, many dictionaries. To find specialized ones for a country, topic or discipline, use the following technique:
- Go to the UC, San Diego Libraries catalog (Roger), and set the drop-down to do a ‘General Subjects’ search. Enter your country, topic or discipline, followed by a space, and the word ‘dictionaries,’ then do your search.
Example: archaeology dictionaries
And you will find many in our collections, both print and electronic:
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