Dictionary.com’s Unfortunate Choice of Usage

By Published On: August 22, 2017

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The popular online dictionary, dictionary.com, has become a valuable online resource since its inception more than 20 years ago — which makes it all the more regrettable that the single example of “contemporary usage” for the word “venerate” is taken from a 4-year-old, politically biased opinion piece. The offending sentence is:

How else to explain what just happened: An Israeli government decided to venerate land over justice, and over life itself.

Without the context that this is simply one person’s negative and controversial anti-Israeli government viewpoint, readers see only a defamatory statement that may be construed as a statement of fact, representing common contemporary usage. It is hardly the sort of neutral example one might expect from an academic resource like a dictionary, and leaves one to wonder whether this was just an unfortunate oversight or whether the editor responsible for the choice harbors some anti-Israel bias him or herself.

CAMERA has contacted the dictionary to suggest that the offensive example be replaced with a more neutral one.

Readers can fill out a form here about the problematic content at Dictionary.com.

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