I used to think that Merriam-Webster was best; that was back when one of the main purposes of a dictionary was to determine how a word was supposed to be used. However, in my estimation they've been going steadily downhill. Used to be, for instance, they'd identify neologisms, slang, etc, as "vulgar"

Now, though, after it has been misused for a while Merriam blithely enters any new usage, even if it's directly contradictory to the original meaning

Thus we are entering an era when any word can mean almost anything, and correct usage is defined as dropping the term wherever it seems to fit, in the secure knowledge that Merriam will eventually adopt it


dalehileman