as in dictionary
a reference work that contains information about many different subjects or a lot of information about a particular subject
The school library's encyclopedia occupied much of the bookshelf. an encyclopedia of literature
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Recent Examples of encyclopedia
Record Club pulls all of its data from the open-source music encyclopedia MusicBrainz.
—
Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 23 May 2026
In the encyclopedia era, information was static and curated.
—Bruce Broussard, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Dielz’s encyclopedia of flowers contains illustrations of and factoids, poems, and myths about flowers.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
Our famed encyclopedia — first published in 1768 but all digital today — remains the oldest continuously published and revised work in the English language.
—Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encyclopedia
Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 23 May 2026
In the encyclopedia era, information was static and curated.
—Bruce Broussard, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Dielz’s encyclopedia of flowers contains illustrations of and factoids, poems, and myths about flowers.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
Our famed encyclopedia — first published in 1768 but all digital today — remains the oldest continuously published and revised work in the English language.
—Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encyclopedia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encyclopedia
Noun
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The Solons name refers to an ancient Greek lawmaker, whose name later became a colloquial term for wise legislators, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
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McGhee remembers his first dictionary at 3 years old and the diagram of a pyramid on page 1,607.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Noun
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The show was muscular, a one-off that brought them back together for a tour of Jay-Z’s catalog with the Roots’ ability to make precision look spontaneous.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
31 May 2026
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The band’s catalogue of indie pop from the early to mid-two-thousands contains enough to satisfy both devoted fans and those who maybe heard one of their hits in a movie years ago.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
Noun
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His debut novel The Beast was a 2017 Spectator book of the year; his second novel, We Germans, was published in 2020 and translated into six languages.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
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Perhaps in imitation of the former occupant—known only through the photographs, books, textiles, and trinkets covering the walls and the floor—Liden sits topless at a piano.—
Erika Landström,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The result is a textbook collective action failure.—
Shlomit Wagman,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
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Produced by Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond is a textbook example of traditional bourbon craftsmanship.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encyclopedia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encyclopedia. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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