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The Devil's Dictionary

by Ambrose Bierce

4.17 · rating details · 2,569 ratings · 217 reviews

The Devil's Dictionary was begun in a weekly paper in 1881, and was continued in a desultory way at long intervals until 1906. In that year a large part of it was published in covers with the title The Cynic's Word Book, a name which the author had not the power to reject or happiness to approve. Meantime, too, some of the enterprising humorists of the country had helped t...more

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Published by Filiquarian Publishing, LLC. (first published 1911)

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Dec 22, 2008

Manny rated it

· review of another edition

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

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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May 08, 2007

Lucy rated it

· review of another edition

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...more

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Oct 30, 2008

Jim rated it

· 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

· review of another edition

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

· 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.

IMA...more

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Mar 02, 2007

Lynsie rated it

· 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 sometim...more

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Jun 12, 2007

Aletha Tavares rated it

· review of another edition

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 t...more

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Jan 25, 2009

Erik Graff rated it

· 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 most...moreJim 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

· 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 regard...moreOne 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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Oct 08, 2011

^ rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Hmmm. Good question.

Shelves: fiction, folio-society-edition, humour

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.”

Ye...more

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Sep 05, 2011

Tony rated it

· 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 vari...moreBierce, 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.
(less)

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Apr 24, 2011

Michael rated it

· 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 sc...more

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Jul 18, 2010

Richard Needham rated it

· 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 tale...more

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Sep 01, 2007

Keely rated it

· 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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Jan 09, 2011

Amandine rated it

· 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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Dec 21, 2009

Sweetman Sweetman rated it

· 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 petit...more

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Oct 16, 2011

Lady Jane rated it

· 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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Sep 24, 2011

§hikoo rated it

· 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.
...more

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Jan 15, 2012

Tortla rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: must-own, classics, started-but-then-put-aside, everybody-should-own, for-guidance, giggles, wishlist, writing-on-writing

Five stars for "abattis."

P.S. I was going to put up quotes from this book, but then I realized that pretty much everything in this book is quote-able. It's like a collection of quote-able-ness. Totally jokes.

P.P.S. The definition for "I" is fantastic.

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Jul 03, 2007

Nesie rated it

· 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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Aug 03, 2011

Andrew Ives rated it

· review of another edition

I'm going to fly in the face of common opinion here. According to the blurb on the back, Ambrose Bierce was an "American wit", surely an oxymoron worthy of inclusion in such a 'rib-tickling' capricious dictionary. I read this book for about half an hour, and regret giving it 29 minutes more time than it warranted. Almost all of the definitions were outdated, untrue, facile, unpleasantly spiteful or so far removed from being witty and amusing, it beggars belief. If you imagine Gyles Bra...more

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Aug 23, 2007

Bryan Worra rated it

· review of another edition

Essential hilarious reading. Perhaps not quite up there with the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, but in lieu of Aristotle's lost treatise on Humor, this deserves a spot on the bookshelves of most of my friends.

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Oct 01, 2007

John rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: alreadyread

Bierce had a very sharp wit. He wrote some admirable short stories, but the "Dictionary" is in my opinion his best effort. It is very funny...and Bierce gets to a lot of truth through his humor...

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Apr 22, 2007

Brandon rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: reference, classics, atheism, satire

It is truly amazing how well this little book holds up. Just as biting and witty to day as when it was written. Plus, the Dover edition is only $2.00, so you have no excuse not to own this one.

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Dec 04, 2011

Vincent rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who regularly have epiphanies on the crapper

Shelves: humor, favorites

Ambrose Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary, published in 1911, is the granddaddy of bathroom readers. It presents satirical definitions that are venomously biting in their commentary of human nature. It literally had me laughing out loud and then shaking my head as the truth of Bierce’s wordsmithery, masterfully employing political double-speak, settled in. This is not a work to read cover to cover, but rather enjoyed in segments as one flips through the pages and finds gem after gem of cynical ...more

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Apr 26, 2011

Deviant Geek rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, my-ebooks, funny, nonsense

LOVE LOVE LOVE THE BOOK.. full of comical remarks about everything, reminded me of the book ( is it me or is everything shit) but this one has rich high class ways of saying bad things which i dig! and sometimes u can find a small poem or a story relating to the word which i find is a bonus
the book isn't boring, not listing everything as a regular dictionary. it's light and well written..
my personal favorite words are numerous but i dont wish to mark this as a spoiler so i'll post on...more

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Jul 25, 2010

Angel rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: humor, commentary-and-opinion, trivia-and-miscellaneous

This little book is certainly one that must be read. If nothing else, a lot of the definitions that Bierce coined back in his day are very relevant today. There is a blend of cynicism and dark humor in the work. I don't recall now who recommended the book to me; I know it was one of my online friends, and it was after reading The Quotable Atheist, which I have listed here on GR as well. At any rate, Bierce's book is very appropriate to our day and age. But it is also very reflective of its era. ...more

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Jan 20, 2009

Tina rated it

· review of another edition

Hard to say I "read" it from cover to cover in one fell swoop . . . though I did read it all eventually (hard to read a "dictionary" like you would read a novel, though, granted, this isn't a typical dictionary). Wicked good definitions that satirize just about all things, like:

Infancy, n. The period of our lives when, according to Wordsworth, "Heaven lies about us." The world begins lying about us pretty soon afterward.

- and -

Des...more

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Jan 13, 2008

Brian Bullard rated it

· review of another edition

I remember my favorite definition in this book was the one for guillotine, but that was a long time ago. Lol. So funny.

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Nov 11, 2009

Emily rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: humor, favorites

The brilliance of this book as that it shows the uglier side of society in such an enjoyable manner. Another factor that makes this book amazing is that you DON'T have to read it all at once. I like to bring it out when I'm with friends and family and just skim through, reading random definitions.

I was rarely introduced to books I liked through school, but of the few I learned about in high school, The Devil's Dictionary is by far my favorite. You do have to appreciate sarcasm and a...more

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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 ...more

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Books by Ambrose Bierce

The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce

Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Other Stories

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“Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage.” — 271 people liked it

“Selfish, adj. Devoid of consideration for the selfishness of others.” — 82 people liked it

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