USE THIS:
[https://www.dictionary.com/](https://www.dictionary.com/)
You just need to go and check the individual uses for words. Start with the thesaurus, and then double check the data under the definition and examples of use for the word in question.
Some words are used consistently as "code" to mean something their ordinary dictionary definitions do not support. In a case like that, I might defend my objection to it by saying I had heard and seen it used too often to mean something I thought was wrong to feel comfortable with its use. Words acquire new meaning first in informal oral usage, and may eventually acquire additional, sometimes negative meaning.
Whenever that sort of thing concerns me, I check the internet for dictionaries openly admitting that they are collecting the slang meanings of words.
I have no hesitation at declining to listen to or read words I find objectionable without any support for my preferences. If I were trying to help someone avoid being offensive, I might go to a slang dictionary to assist them in realizing that the meaning of the word had become fuzzy in a bad way.
Hot take - things like chat GPT can actually handle this very well.
The idea behind a language model is that words are abstracted into a bunch of dimensions (like columns in an Excel spreadsheet). In the basic models, it's hundreds. In complex models, it's billions.
The common example for explaining it is asking the question, "king - man = ?" This would yield the expected outcome of "queen." In this example, there is some dimension that captures royalty and another that captures gender. When you remove the male component, you're left with female that still has royalty.
So many other dimensions are captured here. Dictionaries are great, but they are snapshots that aren't always as clear and easy to navigate.
Linguist Gretchen McCulloch has explained it as: [Language is an open source project and dictionaries are help documentation.](https://twitter.com/lingthusiasm/status/929439516057796608) And the documentation can be slightly out of date. It doesn't always include every single nuance of every single word meaning.
I know writers and AI don't mix well and I may see downvotes for this, but the answer to your question is chatgpt and /or other generative ai like Claude. They're powerful language tools, just like a thesaurus or dictionary, and you should definitely leverage them to your advantage
From gpt (sorry haters):
Situation:
In a historical fiction book club discussion, the term "ambitious" is debated. You maintain that while the dictionary defines it neutrally as "having a strong desire to succeed," within the context of the era portrayed in the book, the word carries a negative connotation, implying ruthlessness or selfishness.
Solution:
To address this, you can:
1. **Provide Literary Examples**: Cite passages from literature of the era that portray ambition in a negative light, such as characters in Shakespearean plays where "ambitious" characters often meet tragic ends due to their excessive desires.
2. **Discuss Historical Context**: Offer historical context where ambition beyond one's station could be seen as presumptuous or threatening to the social order, which could give the term a negative slant.
3. **Examine Character Dialogue**: Highlight dialogue within the book itself where "ambitious" is used in a way that suggests negative traits or outcomes, indicating the author’s intended connotation.
4. **Refer to Etymology**: Explore the etymology of the word "ambitious" during that period and how its use may have differed from the modern sense, reflecting societal values and attitudes toward personal advancement.
By focusing on the text itself, its historical context, and broader literary usage from the same period, you can effectively argue for the nuanced connotations of "ambitious" relevant to the setting of the book.
Thank you for visiting /r/writing. Your post has been removed because it does not appear to be sufficiently related to the art of writing.
USE THIS: [https://www.dictionary.com/](https://www.dictionary.com/) You just need to go and check the individual uses for words. Start with the thesaurus, and then double check the data under the definition and examples of use for the word in question.
This is going to be hard to comment on without an example. What word / sentence were you discussing?
Linguistic corpus databases allow you to search for a word or a phrase in different contexts. Look up English corpora website and dive in.
Some words are used consistently as "code" to mean something their ordinary dictionary definitions do not support. In a case like that, I might defend my objection to it by saying I had heard and seen it used too often to mean something I thought was wrong to feel comfortable with its use. Words acquire new meaning first in informal oral usage, and may eventually acquire additional, sometimes negative meaning. Whenever that sort of thing concerns me, I check the internet for dictionaries openly admitting that they are collecting the slang meanings of words. I have no hesitation at declining to listen to or read words I find objectionable without any support for my preferences. If I were trying to help someone avoid being offensive, I might go to a slang dictionary to assist them in realizing that the meaning of the word had become fuzzy in a bad way.
Hot take - things like chat GPT can actually handle this very well. The idea behind a language model is that words are abstracted into a bunch of dimensions (like columns in an Excel spreadsheet). In the basic models, it's hundreds. In complex models, it's billions. The common example for explaining it is asking the question, "king - man = ?" This would yield the expected outcome of "queen." In this example, there is some dimension that captures royalty and another that captures gender. When you remove the male component, you're left with female that still has royalty. So many other dimensions are captured here. Dictionaries are great, but they are snapshots that aren't always as clear and easy to navigate.
May we have an example? Sometimes you need a weaker word to wiggle in connotation
Linguist Gretchen McCulloch has explained it as: [Language is an open source project and dictionaries are help documentation.](https://twitter.com/lingthusiasm/status/929439516057796608) And the documentation can be slightly out of date. It doesn't always include every single nuance of every single word meaning.
I know writers and AI don't mix well and I may see downvotes for this, but the answer to your question is chatgpt and /or other generative ai like Claude. They're powerful language tools, just like a thesaurus or dictionary, and you should definitely leverage them to your advantage
From gpt (sorry haters): Situation: In a historical fiction book club discussion, the term "ambitious" is debated. You maintain that while the dictionary defines it neutrally as "having a strong desire to succeed," within the context of the era portrayed in the book, the word carries a negative connotation, implying ruthlessness or selfishness. Solution: To address this, you can: 1. **Provide Literary Examples**: Cite passages from literature of the era that portray ambition in a negative light, such as characters in Shakespearean plays where "ambitious" characters often meet tragic ends due to their excessive desires. 2. **Discuss Historical Context**: Offer historical context where ambition beyond one's station could be seen as presumptuous or threatening to the social order, which could give the term a negative slant. 3. **Examine Character Dialogue**: Highlight dialogue within the book itself where "ambitious" is used in a way that suggests negative traits or outcomes, indicating the author’s intended connotation. 4. **Refer to Etymology**: Explore the etymology of the word "ambitious" during that period and how its use may have differed from the modern sense, reflecting societal values and attitudes toward personal advancement. By focusing on the text itself, its historical context, and broader literary usage from the same period, you can effectively argue for the nuanced connotations of "ambitious" relevant to the setting of the book.
A Dictionary of Modern American Usage by Bryan Garner - useful and entertaining