Word.ws English Dictionary

Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary

Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary proper noun: a fictional supremely authoritative dictionary, supposed to be referenced by laypeople in discussions of "the dictionary".

Proper noun

the Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary

  1. (humorous) A fictional supremely authoritative dictionary, supposed to be referenced by laypeople in discussions of "the dictionary".
    • The dictionary most cited in such cases is the UAD: the Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary, usually referred to as 'the dictionary,' but very occasionally as 'my dictionary.'1989, Rosamund Moon, “Objective or Objectionable: Ideological Aspects of Dictionaries”, in English Language Research Journal, volume 3, Birmingham, West Midlands: University of Birmingham, →ISSN...
    • The individual lexicographer has ceded power to the team, the computerised corpus has come to stand side by side with, if not actually to replace, the readers of earlier research, but what has been termed the 'Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary' is still the court of last resort.1996, Jonathon Green, Chasing the Sun: Dictionary-Makers and the Dictionaries They Made, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 11

Examples of Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary in a sentence

  • Have you hear^([sic]) of the Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary?2004 June 22, Raymond S. Wise, “tarot”, in alt.english.usage (Usenet):
  • This is the 'Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary' identified by Rosamund Moon, and the purpose for which it might be consulted is decidedly utilitarian.2018, Elizabeth Knowles, 'And I Quote...', Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 52:

Origin of Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary

Coined by English linguist Rosamund Moon in a 1989 paper (see first quote).

Questions about Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary

What does Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary mean?
Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary means a fictional supremely authoritative dictionary, supposed to be referenced by laypeople in discussions of "the dictionary".
How do you use Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary in a sentence?
Have you hear^([sic]) of the Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary?
What part of speech is Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary?
Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary is a proper noun.

Words near Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary in the dictionary

  1. unidentifiableness
  2. unidentifiably
  3. unidentified
  4. unidentified aerial phenomena
  5. unidentified aerial phenomenon
  6. Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary
  7. unidentified flying object
  8. unidentified flying objects
  9. unidentified submarine object
  10. unidentified submarine objects
  11. unidentified submerged object

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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