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
Little is an encyclopedia of information on other kickers, admiring the approaches of guys like Prater and Carlson and marveling at Aubrey’s astonishing feats.
—
Dan Robson, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Billionaire Elon Musk, who was once a big fan of Wikipedia, has turned on the encyclopedia, as has White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, and even Wales’ estranged co-founder Larry Sanger, who have all claimed Wikipedia is biased.
—Harry Booth, Time, 9 Nov. 2025
Local artist Talita Swarts is a walking encyclopedia of the African diaspora; guests can take a VIP tour with her through everything from the building’s architecture—the shape of the main atrium was built to mimic a single corn kernel—to individual exhibition pieces.
—Emily Baldwin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Nov. 2025
November 04, 2025 When Wikipedia was founded in 2001, the idea that people around the world could come together to create an accurate online encyclopedia covering virtually any topic seemed far-fetched.
—Harvard Business Review, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encyclopedia
Dan Robson, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Billionaire Elon Musk, who was once a big fan of Wikipedia, has turned on the encyclopedia, as has White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, and even Wales’ estranged co-founder Larry Sanger, who have all claimed Wikipedia is biased.
—Harry Booth, Time, 9 Nov. 2025
Local artist Talita Swarts is a walking encyclopedia of the African diaspora; guests can take a VIP tour with her through everything from the building’s architecture—the shape of the main atrium was built to mimic a single corn kernel—to individual exhibition pieces.
—Emily Baldwin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Nov. 2025
November 04, 2025 When Wikipedia was founded in 2001, the idea that people around the world could come together to create an accurate online encyclopedia covering virtually any topic seemed far-fetched.
—Harvard Business Review, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encyclopedia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encyclopedia
Noun
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To do this, lawyers and judges will often use dictionaries published at the time the Constitution or an amendment to it was published, along with other writings.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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The term really got its start back in the late 1990s, and was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2002.—
Ayana Archie,
NPR,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Picture books of colorful flowers and plants, as well as seed catalogs, can be wonderful sources of memory enhancement.—
The San Diego Union Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
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In response to the rise of long-running hits and renewed attention on catalog music, a Back Catalog category has also been created to honor works that continue to be embraced over time.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Another surprise is the stealth-like performance of Regretting You, the adaptation of the Colleen Hoover book.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Nov. 2025
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Set on Christmas Eve, this adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's beloved 1985 children's book follows a young boy whose waning belief in Santa Claus is reinvigorated after hopping on a magical train to the North Pole.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Entertaining is a discipline, one worthy of study, and this is its textbook.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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This month, young readers can curl up with nonfiction explorations of the galaxy, thumb through an old astronomy textbook with a fresh new story to tell, or experience the peace of being (almost) alone on the moon.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encyclopedia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encyclopedia. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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