You Won't Find Every Word in the Dictionary. Here's Why.

Published March 16, 2026 at 12:28 PM MDT

What weighs five pounds, hasn’t been seen in print for 20 years, but still shapes the way we think about language? Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary — and author Stefan Fatsis is here to tell us why it matters.

Two decades ago, there were roughly 200 commercial lexicographers in the United States. Today, fewer than 50 remain. Stefan Fatisis’s new book, “Unabridged,” chronicles his time embedded at Merriam-Webster, defining nearly 90 words — only 14 of which made it into the dictionary. It’s hard getting a word into the dictionary, even if it’s been in use for a while. Take “microaggression,” for example. It’s been in consideration since 1974, and thanks to Fatsis, now appears in the new edition. Stefan Fatsis joins us to talk about how words make it into the dictionary, how they’re defined, and how they change culture.

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Stefan Fatsis is a journalist and the author of four books. His latest is Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) the Modern Dictionary.