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Are Dictionary Titles Italicized?

Yes for the title of a dictionary in MLA-style citation contexts; an individual dictionary entry title is put in quotation marks. This answer is style-scoped: distinguish the whole dictionary from an individual entry, and follow another required citation style when applicable.

ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionWriting & Style
Quick answer

Yes for the title of a dictionary in MLA-style citation contexts; an individual dictionary entry title is put in quotation marks.

Key details

Core Issuewhether the title of a dictionary or the title of a dictionary entry should be italicized
Registeracademic, institutional, edited, and style-governed writing
RulePurdue OWL’s MLA examples treat a dictionary as a book-level reference work: the dictionary title is italicized, while an individual reference-work entry title is placed in quotation marks.

Important caveats

Scope Boundary

This answer is style-scoped: distinguish the whole dictionary from an individual entry, and follow another required citation style when applicable.

Further guidance

Recommendation

In MLA-style work, italicize the dictionary title and put a cited entry title in quotation marks.

Sources and evidence

Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.

  1. MLA Works Cited Page: Books (opens in a new tab)Purdue OWL · MLA-oriented guidance and examples treating an anthology or collection as a whole book/container title, supporting italics for the anthology title.

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