The Comprehensive Word Guide

by Norman Lewis, Clarence Lewis Barnhart (Introduction)

A monumental organization of over 120,000 word entries into an ingenious sequence based on the interlockings and overlappings of meaning, and an alphabetical index that leads you readily to the word or word group you want. Its function is complementary to rather than competitive with that of the dictionary; it is much broader in scope than any of the various books dealing with synonyms.

Genres: Language, Reference

912 pages, Hardcover

Reviews

[Balasubramaniam Janakiraman]

want to review few chapters

[Alan Tremblay · Rating 3 out of 5]

🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 (3 outta 5 dusty moons, full of words i still don’t know)

this book’s got so many dang words it made my brain sweat. not a story, not really a book to read straight through unless you lost a bet—but man, if you ever needed a just-right word for something like “too many kinds of mud” or “sad but also weirdly proud,” it’s probly in here.

i kept it by the toilet for a bit. learned a lot. forgot half of it. felt smarter anyway. it don’t sparkle or hug you like fiction, but it’s like havin an old uncle in your ear goin “you sure that’s the best word for what you mean?”