• Ephera
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    3 years ago

    I guess, the number of descriptions they would have to write would explode exponentially, if they didn’t do that.

    But yeah, really annoys me, too. When I write a definition I avoid similar words, even if I assume everyone knows that word, because it provides more information and is clearer when I use a synonym instead.
    And dictionaries, whose only job is to provide definitions, frequently settle for these shitty definitions.

    • AgreeableLandscape
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      3 years ago

      Like, why not just say “ruler in an oligarchy” and then in the next sentence, actually explain what an oligarchy is?

      If I’m searching up oligarch, I’m probably not confused on the suffixes, I don’t know what the first part of the word means.

      • gun
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        3 years ago

        Oligarch: A ruler in an oligarchy
        Oligarchy: Rule by oligarchs