Search by criteria is a powerful tool that will let you explore and make the most of Antidote’s dictionaries. You can combine a series of filter criteria and see the results change as you enter each criterion.
These searches can be saved in your favourites by clicking the favourites icon () after defining all of your search criteria.
Accessing search by criteria
You can search by criteria several ways:
Click the search by criteria menu () and select a search criterion. The search by criteria panel will be displayed, showing the results of a search that applies the specified criterion to the headword; you can then change criteria as you like, or add other criteria to the search.
Click one of the predefined searches in the More section of an entry in the dictionary of definitions. The search by criteria panel will be displayed with the specified search results; you can then narrow down these results or add other criteria as you like.
Click Contains or Anagrams in the instant search menu, select the first option in the menu or click All results. The search by criteria panel will be displayed with the specified search results; you can then narrow down these results or add other criteria as you like.
Descriptions of the criteria
Word: Search for words that do or do not contain, begin with or end with a given character string, or search for anagrams of that string.
Category: Search for words that do or do not belong to a given syntactic category (noun, adjective, verb, etc.).
Definition: Search for words whose definition does or does not include a given word, inflected or not.
Domain: Search for words that do or do not belong to a given sector of activity (medicine, music, astronomy, etc.).
Encyclopedic information: Search for names of people, countries, cities or World Heritage sites.
Number of letters: Search for words with a number of letters equal to, smaller than or larger than a given number.
Number of syllables: Search for words with a number of syllables equal to, smaller than or larger than a given number.
Frequency: Search for words whose frequency is the same as, lower than or higher than a given frequency (from very rare to very frequent).
Rhyme: Search for words that rhyme with a given word.
National spelling: Search for words whose spelling is particular to a given country.
Register: Search for words that do or do not belong to a given register (informal, formal, neutral, etc.).
Number: Search for words whose form is singular or plural.
Positive/Negative: Search for words that may or may not have a positive or negative connotation.
Strong/Weak: Search for words with strong or weak meanings.
Language of origin: Search for words that come from one of the languages suggested (Italian, French, German, etc.).
Using search criteria
Each search criterion has different parameters: enter a text string, choose states (is or is not) or values (fewer than, equals, greater than) from a drop-down menu or choose from a list of other predefined options (different domains, registers, connotations or languages of origin).
For example, a search using the Word criterion produces a drop-down menu with eight parameters: is, contains, begins with, ends with, anagrams of, does not contain, does not begin with and does not end with.
After choosing the contains parameter, for example, enter a string of characters in the headword search field. If you type bal, you will see football, ball, global, balance, etc.
You can use the variable ? in a search using the Word criterion to add one or more unknown characters to the string. You can also use the *, & and # variable as described in the Searching With Variables section.
Combining criteria
Suppose you have already searched for all the words whose definition contains the word mouse (criterion Definition containsmouse), but you want to limit the results to those that contain the computer-related term. Click the + Add criteria button in the top-right corner of the window and select the Domain criterion.
The new criterion is added beneath the previous one. Select computer/telecommunications from the drop-down menu.
Logical connectors
When you conduct a search using multiple criteria, use the logical connectors menu under the headword search field to define the way you want to combine them.
All
Choosing All means all the results meet all the criteria. This connector is represented by the conjunction AND between the criteria: 1st criterion AND 2nd criterion AND 3rd criterion, etc.
With the All connector selected, the combination Definition containsmouseAND Domain iscomputer/telecommunications in our example will find all the words that are common to the computer/telecommunications sector whose definition contains the word mouse (highlighted in yellow): drag, click, rollerball, etc.
One of
Choosing One of means the results meet at least one of the criteria. This connector is represented by the conjunction OR between the criteria: 1st criterion OR 2nd criterion OR 3rd criterion, etc.
With the One of connector selected, the combination Definition containsmouseOR Domain is computer/telecommunications will display both words whose definition contains the word mouse (like rodent and Steinbeck) and words related to computers (like program and install).
The logical connectors AND and OR cannot be combined in a single search.
Deleting criteria
To delete criteria from your search, click the minus sign at the far-right end of the criteria bar. The results are adjusted automatically.
List of results
The results are displayed as a list of headwords (in blue) followed by their categories (n., v., adj., etc.) and, if applicable, other relevant information for the criteria used (phonetic transcription, number of letters, sector of activity, etc.). Each headword may be accompanied by a preview, which is generally the beginning of its definition but may also change, depending on the search criteria used. The number of results obtained (up to 1,000) is displayed at the top of the list.
If the list of results extends over several pages, scroll down and click the arrows and page numbers at the bottom of the window to view the rest of the results.
The results sometimes group inflected forms of the same word (e.g. several conjugated forms of the same verb) on a single line to make them easier to read.
Definition tooltip
To consult the definition of a word in the results without leaving the search panel, click the icon that appears on mouseover.
Clicking the headword directly instead of the icon will take you out of the search panel, to the corresponding entry in the dictionary of definitions.
Filters
To the left of the list of results is a series of filters and options that let you refine your results and change the way they are displayed. The filters displayed depend on the search criteria. Clicking one of the filters lets you limit the display to a given subset of results and provide statistics on the number of words that belong to that subset. Click All to return to the complete list of results. You can combine several filters, described below.
Categories
The filters under categories let you limit the results to a given syntactic category.
Domains
The filters under domains are available for searches using the Domain criterion when the domain chosen includes two subdomains (e.g. computer/telecommunications). They let you display the results for only one of the subdomains at a time.
Contexts
The filters under contexts are available for certain results of searches using the Definition criterion. They let you distinguish definitions in which the searched word appears in a positive context (e.g. edible) from those in which it appears in a negative context (e.g. not edible).
Number of letters
The filters under Number of letters are available for searches using the Number of letters criterion or the Word: anagrams of criterion. They let you display only words containing a specific number of letters.
Anagrams
The filters under anagrams are available for searches using the Word: anagrams of criterion. They let you display only certain types of anagrams (complete or with letters removed, added or substituted).
Frequency
The filters under frequency are available for searches using the Frequency criterion. They let you display words whose frequencies fall within a specified range.
Register
The filters under register are available for searches using the Register criterion. They let you limit the words displayed to a single register of language.
Rhymes
The filters under rhymes are available for searches using the Rhyme criterion. They classify rhymes according to their richness (number of common phonemes at the end of the word) by displaying only words with a given number of common phonemes.
Number of syllables
The filters under number of syllables are available for searches using the Number of syllables criterion. They let you display only words with a specific number of syllables.
Number
The filters under number are available for searches using the Number criterion. They let you separate invariable words (with identical singular and plural forms) from singular or plural words.
Language of origin
The filters under language of origin are available for searches using the Language of origin criterion. They let you display only words whose etymology is derived partially from another language.
Country of origin
The filters under country of origin are available for searches using the Encyclopedic information: World Heritage criterion. They let you display only UNESCO World Heritage sites located in a specific country.
Population
The filters under population are available for searches using the Encyclopedic information: towns/cities or the Encyclopedic information: countries criteria. They let you display only those places whose population is within a given range.
Area
The filters under area are available for searches using the Encyclopedic information: countries criterion. They let you display only countries whose area is within a given range.
Currency
The filters under currency are available for searches using the Encyclopedic information: countries criterion. They let you display only those countries using a specific currency.
Other options and information
Criteria
The criteria section above the filters summarizes the criteria that were applied to obtain the results displayed. It lets you check your criteria and is useful if you want to print the results.
Sort
The sort section lets you switch between different ways of sorting results: by relevance, alphabetically, by syntactic category or by number of letters (for searches where this information is relevant). Relevance is generally linked to frequency, but depends on the dominant criterion. For instance, when you use the Rhyme criterion, the relevance corresponds to the richness of the rhyme.
Forms options
The options under forms, displayed below the filters, are described in the Searching With Variables section.
Show IPA/respelling
This option appears in grey font below the filters and is available for searches using the Rhyme or Number of syllables criteria. Clicking it switches between the phonetic respelling of the words displayed and the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).
Hide/Show preview
This option appears in grey font below the filters and lets you display or hide the preview of the definition that accompanies each result. Hiding previews has the advantage of showing a more condensed list of results.
Tips for searching by criteria
Here are some tips to help you search more efficiently.
Repeating the same criterion
You can repeat a given criterion while changing its values. For instance, searching Word containsxAND Word containsyAND Word containsz will list the words that each contain the last three letters of the alphabet.
Negative criteria
Negative criteria—is not and does not contain—are particularly useful for excluding certain results. For example, should you want to exclude proper nouns, as described below.
Excluding proper nouns
To exclude proper nouns from your search results, add AND Category is not proper noun as a criterion. For instance, if you add this criterion to a search for Word containsport, proper nouns like Portugal and Portland will not appear in the results.
Exclude expressions/idioms
Results sometimes include expressions and idioms, which contain at least one space (e.g. come to think of it, triumphal arch). Uncheck the with spaces box under Forms to exclude them from your results. Note that words with a hyphen or internal apostrophe will also be excluded.
Search for anagrams
Anagrams are words formed with the same letters, but in a different order, like crass and scars. With the Word: anagrams of criterion and the Number of letters filter, you can limit the results to exact anagrams with exactly the same letters, or extend your search to words with fewer or more letters than the original word.
Have fun!
The only limit to combining different search criteria is your imagination and curiosity. For example, is it true that not a single English word rhymes with depth? How many English words in the political domain are of Greek origin? Now you know how to find out!
Exiting search by criteria
To close the search by criteria panel and return to the last dictionary you consulted, click the Done button in the upper right-hand corner of the window.
