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The Devil's Dictionary

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 4,409 ratings · 279 reviews

History, n. an account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools. Marriage, n. The state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all two. Self-Esteem, n. An erroneous appraisement. These caustic aphorisms, collected in The Devil's Dictionary, helpe...more

Paperback, 254 pages

Published January 1st 1999 by Oxford University Press, USA (first published 1911)

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Dec 22, 2008 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: well-i-think-its-funny, parody-homage, the-goodreads-experience, pooh-dante

goodreads, n. Website designed to prevent people who enjoy books from finding time to read them.

review, v.i. Demonstrate, through a short essay, appreciation for one's own wit.

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Nov 23, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Absolutely inspired. Bierce's wit is a literary scalpel honed to a fineness that can slice exceptionalism at the molecular level. Of a kind with the mighty Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary, though featuring fewer multi-paragraph cannonades of cutting, even cruel wit in lieu of more broadly-aimed and concisely-barbed thrusts. Finding myself stuck in a lengthy queue for the cashier when purchasing it (along with a handful of other textual beauties scooped-up second hand), I opened it to A and...more

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May 08, 2007 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-language, best-ever, the-mile

Conservative, n. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.
Impiety, n. Your irreverence toward my deity.
Patriotism, n. Combustible rubbish ready to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name. In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit it is the first.
Selfish, adj. Devoid of cons...more

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Oct 30, 2008 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

Bierce was well known for his caustic wit. This book is literally a small dictionary of words, the definitions of which are a biting commentary on human nature. The man was definitely a pessimist in his attitude toward the human race & I wouldn't recommend reading this in a single sitting, it's hard to put down. I like to pick it up occasionally, especially if I'm in a bad mood. If nothing else, it spruces up your insults.

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Jan 11, 2008 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the perfect coffee-table/bathroom book. Thumbing around this thing one finds tons of amusement. Some of it cuts pretty deep though, and cynicism floods every page. An acid-tinged classic.

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Oct 14, 2007 Rauf rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who loves language and sarcasm

Shelves: shiny, glitterdammerung, fromthepit, favorites

This work is fantastic.

It is not a starter kit for a demonic ritual or anything. It's a mock dictionary. Almost every word in it is defined in a sarcastic and delightful fashion.

Some of my favourite are:

MISFORTUNE, n. the kind of fortune that never missed.

POLITENESS, n. the most acceptable hypocrisy.

BRIDE, n. A woman with a fine prospect of happiness behind her.

BRUTE, n. See HUSBAND.

IMAGINATION, n. A warehouse of facts, with poet and liar in joint ownership.

APRIL FOOL, n. The March fool with an...more

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Mar 02, 2007 Lynsie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, funnyshit

Written in 1911, this is a wonderful piece of biting satire from one of Mark Twain's friends (and rivals).

"Love: n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage or by removal of the patient from the influences under which he incurred the disorder. This disease, like caries and many other ailments, is prevalent only amongst civilized races living under artificial conditions; barbarous nations breathing pure air and eating simple food enjoy immunity from its ravages. It is sometimes fatal, but more f...more

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Jun 12, 2007 Aletha Tavares rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humour, literary

its not something one reads in a day, but a good book to have while browsing at your desk or to inject humour into our writings.
His definition of Oblivion:The state or condition in which the wicked cease from struggling and the dreary are at rest. fame's eternal dumping ground. Cold storage for high hopes. A place where ambitious authors meet their works without pride and their betters envy. A dormitory without an alarm clock.

The author in 1913 set off for Mexico which was in the middle of a rev...more

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Jan 25, 2009 Erik Graff rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Bierce fans

Recommended to Erik by: James Ivan Gottreich

Shelves: literature

Jim Gottreich was one of my favorite high school teachers. Indeed, he was the favorite of several of my friends although he did not last at Maine Twp. H.S. South very long.

We met when he did sophomore World History. Hank Kupjack, my first true friend in high school, if not in life, was there also. Hank knew a lot already about 18th century France, his father being the miniaturist, Eugene Kupjack, and Gottreich let him do a presentation about Versailles which, as I recall, had mostly to do with t...more Jim Gottreich was one of my favorite high school teachers. Indeed, he was the favorite of several of my friends although he did not last at Maine Twp. H.S. South very long.

We met when he did sophomore World History. Hank Kupjack, my first true friend in high school, if not in life, was there also. Hank knew a lot already about 18th century France, his father being the miniaturist, Eugene Kupjack, and Gottreich let him do a presentation about Versailles which, as I recall, had mostly to do with the palace's sanitary facilities. This may have influenced my major research project for the class, a paper on Sanitation in Medieval Europe. In any case, he was good at encouraging any spark of intellectual interest in us and he had a sense of humor.

This did not sit well with the administration, particularly with Otto Kohler, the head of the history department. His contract was not renewed. Hank and I led a protest, circulating a petition and getting the Gottreich affair onto the agenda of the District 217 School Board. Naturally, working within the system as we did, we failed.

Bur friendships had been formed. Hank, Rich Hyde and I started visiting Jim and his wife, Anastasia, at their Skokie home in the months following his termination. This tradition continued, individually and in various combinations of the three of us, until I went by one day to find his house occupied by strangers. I'd been away in school, out of state, for nine years. The ties had loosened.

Our visits with Jim and Anastasia were primarily conversational. They both knew a lot, a lot more than us, and occasionally they'd recommend books. I read Kazanzatkis because of them and Samuel Delany and Heavenly Discourses and, yes, The Devil's Dictionary, an old hardcover copy of which my dad just happened to have in his bookshelves.

Happily, decades later, I was visiting a friend in San Francisco, Mike Miley, who had also attended South and who had also had Gottreich, though for another class. We were reminiscing at his brother's house a few months ago and he noted that he'd hated South and had had only two good teachers there. One was unknown to me, but the other was Gottreich. A laptop with DSL was handy, so, idly, while chatting, I did a name search on him and found a James I. Gottreich listed as a deacon of a northside Orthodox church as well as a number of older listings, new articles and the like.

When I returned to Chicago I called and emailed the church, ultimately speaking to the receptionist there who knew Jim and Anastasia and was willing to pass on a greeting. A day or two later I found his familiar voice on the answering machine, giving his number, inviting a call.

A few days later we met, for the first time in decades, at a Sheridan Road cafe. He hadn't changed much. That was comforting. Now that the holidays are over I'm going to try to get Hank to join us.(less)

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Dec 31, 2008 Nick Black rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the most surprising books I know -- by far the best book I've read sans preconceptions, or at least presuggestions, of greatness. Ambrose was one clever guy. Although...

...Some purists might claim that the only measure of cleverness that counts is whether one avoids "disappearing into Mexico without a trace, especially for want of something better to do"; in the spirit of The Devil's Dictionary, let me reply to this contextomic litotes without any preciousness regarding the Madero revolut...more One of the most surprising books I know -- by far the best book I've read sans preconceptions, or at least presuggestions, of greatness. Ambrose was one clever guy. Although...

...Some purists might claim that the only measure of cleverness that counts is whether one avoids "disappearing into Mexico without a trace, especially for want of something better to do"; in the spirit of The Devil's Dictionary, let me reply to this contextomic litotes without any preciousness regarding the Madero revolution:

- "disappearing into Mexico" - walking into a war zone like a goddamn fool, then asking around "hey what does a très unflappable journalist from the Gilded Lands of the North do for panache and elan around here?" while being hustled into a basement.
- "get in the basement and start begging for death now" - It might not be an actual basement. The begging for death part is right on.
- "sometime in 1914" - about five minutes into this Very Bad Idea. yeah. it's a fucking tragedy the way they'll waste a perfectly good white boy in the Tlaxcala.
- "Tlaxcala" - 1. A powerful neurotoxin brought to you by Dow(TM). 2. A paralyzing, necrotizing and ultimately fatal bacterial infection marked by pungent suppurations and a "frothing" effluvia known colloquially as "Caliente Huevos Rancheros el Diablo" ("the Hot Breakfast Eggs of Satan (or The Devil)"), "the Wave Which Breaks Both Ways", "Matando Güeros", or "the quivering pytchmole". 3) A state in Mexico, but don't think it's not going to kill you just the same.
- "without a trace" - Idiom. 1) Without leaving a record or artifact. 2) Leaving only the fair assumption, rather than notarized multimedia record, that one was bludgeoned with an iron rod, repeatedly gangraped by an eager troop of Red Flaggers, fed what the donkey eats, raped again while it's determined that, without cell phones and contact info, ransoms don't work, shot and finally consumed by birds.
- Magnesium Powder - 1. Element number 11, symbol Mg. 2. Rumored as worse to have packed around and gushing from one's shredded asshole than sand, dysentery and a sepsis you can hear, like the roar of a thousand Yugos, or the sizzle of viscera under the harsh sun of Veracruz.
- "Kick ass" and "chew chicle" - The two things we came to do.
- Chicle - Gum. Looks like we are all out of it.
- "Equidad en la Justicia" - "In the end, we are all carrion for vultures to eat. Until then, better to be the gang than the bang."
- "Gringo!" - "Looks like you're the bang."

I mean, I know the Illuminati were after you and McKinley wanted you served up on flatsilver but even before 2666, it didn't take Ambrose Bierce's brain to know the only ways back from 1913 Mexico were "without a trace" or "on a pike". Anyway, funny book, good times.(less)

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Apr 11, 2013 Xavier rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Devils Dictionary is the perfect pocket guide (and coffee table book as Illustrated by Ralph Steadman), for the aspiring naysayer and seasoned cynic alike. Terms of common usage delivered in brief summaries, illuminating succinctly the ironies, inequities and idiocies of the human condition, one light bulb after another going off over your head. The proper dose of doubt offered as remedy for too much sunshine; definitions, mostly hilarious and always thought provoking, still brilliantly rele...more The Devils Dictionary is the perfect pocket guide (and coffee table book as Illustrated by Ralph Steadman), for the aspiring naysayer and seasoned cynic alike. Terms of common usage delivered in brief summaries, illuminating succinctly the ironies, inequities and idiocies of the human condition, one light bulb after another going off over your head. The proper dose of doubt offered as remedy for too much sunshine; definitions, mostly hilarious and always thought provoking, still brilliantly relevant. The true beauty however is the music of Bierce's prose, a glimpse of a lost eloquence, one deeply intricate in its economy and thoughtfulness. The Devil's Dictionary is not to be read as a novel, more as considered insight into an author who should be better appreciated.

I come late to Ambrose Bierce (1842-1913?), one hundred years after his mysterious disappearance. (Is there any other kind?) It seems that I am not alone on the centennial, as all manner of mope and movement now claim him as akin. The most recent is the Ancient Alien crew, suggesting he found a star gate or was abducted in the zone of silence, or something, a theory thinly based on the paranormal slant to many of his short stories. I'm not saying they're wrong, but it's generally accepted Bierce was killed while observing or fighting with Villa's rebels in Mexico. I'm saying when or how he died is not particularly important, whether by accident, in battle or through foul play. They're lines of exploration only distracting from the story of wonderfully colorful writer, respected and revered by the luminaries of his own generation, and those that followed.

Bierce was a notably tall and handsome man. He was also notoriously contemptuous and cynical. The definitions within Devils dictionary, originating from a collection of columns penned over five years (1881-1886) in San Francisco's `The Wasp', stand as firm exhibit to that. It's easy to imagine Bierce as the cynic. He'd lived a less than the happy childhood, and witnessed firsthand the carnage of Shiloh and the southern campaign as a young Union officer in the Civil War, acquitting himself bravely, having retrieved a wounded comrade from the field under fire. It's easy to justify from his experiences in early life, most surely traumatic, a pervasive distrust of institutions - the inadequacy of government and the military, religion, love and family to answer the larger questions of existence, or even to solve the simplest of problems...

"Faith n: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel."
"Flag n: A colored rag borne above troops and hoisted on forts and ships. It appears to serve the same purpose as certain signs one sees on vacant lots in London, `Rubbish will be shot here'."
"Friendship n: A ship big enough to carry two in fair weather, but only one in foul."
"Husband n: One who, having dined, is charged with the care of the plate."
"Imagination n: A warehouse of facts, with poet and liar in joint ownership."
"Poverty n: ...Its victims are distinguished by possession of all the virtues and by their faith in leaders seeking to conduct them into prosperity where they believe these unknown..."

To whichever page you flip there's always something to make you smile, and likely a chuckle or two. There's nothing conspiratorial about it to Bierce and none comes through in the tone. It's what you could expect to happen when you leave human beings in charge, and he believed it his charge as critic to set it straight - "Humanity n: The Human race, collectively, exclusive of the anthropoid poets." Bierce could be self-deprecating. He considered himself a poet, his earliest and lifelong passion. Though above all he was America's first `Social Chronicler'... I heard that term applied to Tom Wolfe. I'm not sure who said it, but it fits Bierce like a glove, a century earlier.

In contrast to the façade of curmudgeon he is reported to have shown great generosity of spirit in embracing young writers, and some contemporaries (he thought many others were hacks and said so). There were those who spoke very differently of the private man. "The atrabilious persona of the dictionary was the mask of a much hurt man." - (Angus Calder intro)

The columns of The Devil's Dictionary are important too in they brought Bierce to the attention of William Randolph Hearst, and a good job at `The San Francisco Examiner', and ultimately to National recognition. The fact that Bierce's opinions and utterances of such, verbally and in print, didn't much agree with Hearst's (son of a filthy rich mining magnate) didn't bother either one of them. Hearst thrived on the sensational, on yellow journalism. The Examiner also offered a ready outlet for his Civil War stories, what he was best known for at the time... I'm hooked, got to get more... I'll let you know what I find out about his disappearance.
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Sep 14, 2012 Charlotte rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-stars, folio, history, 1800s, summer-2012, classics, satire, reviewed

I’ve been dipping in and out of this quite frequently so, sadly, it’s my first Folio Edition to be losing its ‘New Book’ smell. Ambrose Bierce is, without a doubt, sheer brilliance. Although some of the early A’s were rather dull, I’ve just opened at a random page to pull an example and been gifted with some absolute gems. For example (pg 115-7):

Habit, n. Shackle for the free.
Hag, n. An elderly lady whom you do not happen to like.
Handkerchief, n. A small square of silk or linen used in various i...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Lisa N rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ran across this interesting little book by Ambrose Bierce, author of the short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. I just sort of thumbed through this from time to time for a few weeks. A few satirical gems, but I don’t recommend this. Overall, too cynical and pessimistic.

Some of the entries I liked:

Debauchee: One who has so earnestly pursued pleasure that he has had the misfortune to overtake it.

Egotist: A person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me.

Epigram: …In each human...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Hayden rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Since it's written with 'ye olde wordes' that we no longer use, parts of it are difficult to understand. Some definitions, my eyes just scan right over them, because I don't care what Bierce defines ____ or ____ as, and the humor is lost on me. But other definitions are so spot on and hilarious... I mean, it's a dictionary, but its also like a book, so I'm having trouble figuring if I'm supposed to read it all the way through or if I should pull it out for the occasional laugh. The definitions I...more

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Oct 08, 2011 ^ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Hmmm. Good question.

Shelves: fiction, folio-society-edition, humour, books-with-1001-to-10000-ratings

I’d categorise this SF. No, not “science fiction”, more “strange fiction”

Miles Kington has written a very useful and informative Introduction. The strangeness began when I opened the book – and found it printed upside-down between its covers. Turning the volume around in my hands I began to read random selections.

Some definitions show great insight and are delightfully direct:
For example:

“IMPIETY, n. Your irreverence towards my deity.”

Yes, I thought; there’s something in that.

Other definitions...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: essays

Bierce, Ambrose. THE DEVIL’S DICTIONARY. (1911). ****.
Bierce (1842-1913?) was born in Ohio and educated in Indiana. He was the tenth of thirteen children whose father gave all of them names starting with an “A”: In order of birth, they were Abigal, Amelia, Ann, Addison, Aurelius, Augustus, Almeda, Andrew, Albert, Ambrose, Arthur, Adelia, and Aurelia. When Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the Union Army’s 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment. The experiences he had participating in various battles,...more Bierce, Ambrose. THE DEVIL’S DICTIONARY. (1911). ****.
Bierce (1842-1913?) was born in Ohio and educated in Indiana. He was the tenth of thirteen children whose father gave all of them names starting with an “A”: In order of birth, they were Abigal, Amelia, Ann, Addison, Aurelius, Augustus, Almeda, Andrew, Albert, Ambrose, Arthur, Adelia, and Aurelia. When Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the Union Army’s 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment. The experiences he had participating in various battles, including First Phillipi, Shiloh, and Kennesaw Mountain. After the war, he migrated to San Francisco and entered the field of journalism, primarily as a crime reporter. He is primarily known for his short stories – or “tales” – and for their precise use of language. Most of his work is satirical in nature or borders on the supernatural, but is eminently readable today. His exact date of death is unknown. In 1913, he went to Mexico to report on Mexico’s revolution. He travelled with Villa’s army and ultimately disappeared without a trace after the battle of Tierra Bianca. This work was written over a long period (1881-1911) and was not issued as a single volume until 1911 – included as part of his “complete works.” It reminds one of Votaire’s dictionary, since all of the definitions are steeped in sarcasm. This edition was published by Library of America (disregard the photo) and is bolstered by copious notes. I have the urge to quote extensively from the dictionary, but will keep it to just a few of the definitions.
Alone, adj. In bad company.
Bacchus, n. A convenient deity invented by the ancients as an excuse for getting drunk.
Barometer, n. An ingenious instrument which indicates what kind of weather we are having.
Critic, n. A person who boasts himself hard to please because nobody tries to please him.
Dentist, n. A prestidigitator who, putting metal into your mouth, pulls co9ins out of your pocket.
Die, n. The singular of “dice.” We seldom hear the word because there is a prohimitory proverb, “Never say die.” At long interfals, however, some one says, “The die is cast,” which is not true, for it is cut...
Enough. This is a must read. Recommended.
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Apr 24, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Cynics, critics, freethinkers

Recommended to Michael by: Seth Klein

Shelves: classics, left-hand-path, satire

In spite of the claims made at the time of publication, this is actually one of those "incomplete" versions of the Dictionary, although it was the authorized version introduced by Bierce himself. The fact of the matter is that the entire lexicon was never published in his lifetime, so if you want a complete version, you have to sacrifice the authenticity of history and accept the editorial work of later scholars. This was, however, the version that was available when I was in middle school and f...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Richard Needham rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a free download to my iPhone using Stanza software and Project Gutenberg text files. The ‘dictionary’ consists of concise, humorous, often biting definitions that have largely retained their relevance today (see CORPORATION below), accompanied by humorous little poems and doggerel that are a little more dated. It is really perfect for browsing in e-text when a few moments allow.
Bierce, a turn-of-the (20th)-century columnist and writer of short fiction (some truly hair-raising tales of h...more

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Sep 01, 2007 Keely rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, reference, humor, reviewed, american

There may be none, outside of perhaps Rabelais, who may so decorously handle the refuse of the world. The Devil's Dictionary is a guidebook for the mind of man, and perhaps a certain delicacy becomes necessary when exploring something so rude and unappealing. There is perhaps no greater illustration that the answer of 'why do bad things happen to good people' is: because it is much funnier that way.

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Dec 02, 2012 Jori Richardson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First published in 1906 under the title "The Cynic's Word Book," "The Devil's Dictionary" is exactly what (both) the titles announce: a dictionary of words defined with a devilishly cynical mindset.

I was researching 19th Century American writers when I found Ambrose Bierce, who immediately struck me as an interesting character. He was born in a small coal mining town and later became an apprentice at a printing shop, before enlisting in the Union army during the Civil War. His family life was tr...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Paul Secor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-make-me-laugh, in-love-with-words-poets

Bitter, biting, and on the money.

Other folks have given examples of Bierce's definitions, but I'll add a few more:

Responsibility, n. A detachable burden easily shifted to the shoulders of God, Fate, Fortune, Luck or one's neighbor.

Railroad, n. The chief of many mechanical devices enabling us to get away from where we are to where we are no better off.

Influence, n. In politics, a visionary quo given in exchange for a substantial quid.

Bore, n. A person who talks when you wish him to listen.

Abscond...more

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Jan 09, 2011 Amandine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 19e-siècle, 20e-et-21e-siècles

Ce livre est un petit bijou de sarcasme et d'ironie. Beaucoup plus drôle et "méchant" que le Dictionnaire des idées reçues de Flaubert, il est universel et ne se limite absolument pas à l'époque de l'auteur. A chaque période d'examens, ou presque, j'en relis quelques définitions pour me détendre. C'est un vrai plaisir à chaque fois. A lire et relire sans modération.

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Mar 29, 2012 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, made-me-laugh

I would love, as I have seen some reviewers here do, to come up with some obscenely clever riff on the style of this book, defining "review" or "dictionary" or "Ambrose Bierce" in a witty, irreverent way. Instead, I will simply say that I found this book to be often insightful, frequently cynical, and always hilarious. Here are a couple of my favourite definitions:

ACADEME, n. An ancient school where morality and philosophy were taught.
ACADEMY, n. [from ACADEME] A modern school where football is...more

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Dec 21, 2009 Sweetman Sweetman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone, particularly those who enjoy sardonic wit

Recommended to Sweetman by: Mr. Travers

You get lost in this book, perhaps wanting to find his opinion on one word then looking up to find over an hour has past. There are so many of my "favorite" words that nearly every page of this little book is dog-eared:
Friendship,n. A ship big enough to carry two in fair weather, but only one in foul.
Hash, x There is no definition for this word--nobody knows what hash is.
Pray, v. To ask the laws of the universe to be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly
unworthy.
Of course th...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Morris Nelms rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ambrose Bierce is at his best here in terms of caustic cynicism, unique humor, and sharp observations.
My favorites:
Dentist, n.: A Prestidigitator who, putting metal in one's mouth, pulls coins out of one's pockets.
POTABLE, n. Suitable for drinking. Water is said to be potable; indeed, some declare it our natural beverage, although even they find it palatable only when suffering from the recurrent disorder known as thirst, for which it is a medicine. Upon nothing has so great and diligent ingen...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Lady Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In honor of Dictionary Day (October 16), I decided to look through my beloved PDF copy of Devil's Dictionary, my favorite dictionary of all time! The unabridged version contains over one thousand words with politically incorrect, but delightfully honest definitions in which Ambrose Bierce displays his typically sardonic wit as he takes the liberty to describe things as they are, and not as they ought to be. Despite the seeming pessimism of this work, there is nothing to grieve over, quite the co...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Riley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some of my favorites, just from A:

Absurdity, n. -- A statement of belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.

Admiration, n. -- Our polite recognition of another's resemblance to ourselves.

Amnesty, n. -- The state's magnanimity to those offenders whom it would be too expensive to punish.

Here are two more I really like, as well:

Clairvoyant, n. -- A person, commonly a woman, who has the power of seeing that which is invisible to her patron -- namely, that he is a blockhead.

Homicide, n. -...more

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Sep 24, 2011 §hikoo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 52-books-challenge

BEAUTY, n. The power by which a woman charms a lover and terrifies a
husband.

DIPLOMACY, n. The patriotic art of lying for one's country.

ECONOMY, n. Purchasing the barrel of whiskey that you do not need for
the price of the cow that you cannot afford.

EMOTION, n. A prostrating disease caused by a determination of the
heart to the head. It is sometimes accompanied by a copious discharge
of hydrated chloride of sodium from the eyes.

GOUT, n. A physician's name for the rheumatism of a rich patient.

HOSPITA...more

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Mar 23, 2013 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor

This is an irreverent literary foray from a curmudgeon who lived an adventurous life. His civil war experience was put to good use in his stories. His journalistic career lasted until 1913 when, at the age of seventy-one, he left for Mexico and was never heard from again. Fortunately he left behind this book of cynical and satirical definitions that show off the underside of humanity. Some definitions are short essays while others provide an opportunity for Bierce to display some verse. He even...more

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Jul 03, 2007 Nesie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who loves words

Loved this dictionary (of sorts)! Though I now wish I had a "real" dictionary that defined the words I don't know...so I could really enjoy Ambrose Bierce's evil-in-a-good-way re-definitions. All in good time, I guess....

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About Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. Today, he is best known for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary.

The sardonic view of human nature that informed his work – along with his vehemence as a critic, with his motto "nothing matters" – earned him the nickname "Bitt...more

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Books by Ambrose Bierce

Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce

The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Other Stories

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Trivia About The Devil's Dicti...

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Quotes from The Devil's Dictionary

“Love, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage.” — 1,232 people liked it

“Sweater, n. Garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.” — 163 people liked it

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The Devil's Dictionary

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