Best Dictionary Apps for Linux

This article will cover a list of useful dictionary applications available for Linux. You can use these apps to look up definitions of words and phrases. Some of the applications listed below support English as the primary language while others provide definitions in other languages as well. The list includes apps that need active data connections to fetch meaning from online databases as well as apps that can be run in offline mode.

Dict Command

Dict is one of the most widely used command line dictionaries available for Linux. Based on client server architecture, the dict app allows you to query word definitions from a number of predefined online sources. You can also set up your own local or remote servers and then use the dict command to query definitions.

The process to query a word definition is pretty straightforward, all you have to do is run a command in the following format:

$ dict "word or phrase"

You can install dict app in Ubuntu by executing the command mentioned below:

$ sudo apt install dict

You can search in the package manager to install dict in other Linux distributions. You can also download its source code archive from here.

You can know more about dict’s command line options by running these commands:

$ man dict
$ dict --help

GoldenDict

GoldenDict is a popular GUI dictionary app for Linux that allows you to look up definitions from both offline and online sources. GoldenDict doesn’t provide offline dictionaries by default. However, it supports numerous offline dictionary file formats and you can manually add them to GoldenDict to enable dictionary search. GoldenDict comes with few online sources like Wikipedia and Google dictionary. These sources can be enabled from settings. You can also add remote dictionary servers and define your own custom URL patterns to look up word meanings. GoldenDict comes with WebKit based WebView and it can render online dictionary websites in the app itself.

You can install GoldenDict app in Ubuntu by using the command below:

$ sudo apt install goldendict

You can search in the package manager to install GoldenDict in other Linux distributions. You can also download its source code archive from here. You can read more about offline dictionary file formats and download some of them from the official website of GoldenDict.

GNOME Dictionary

GNOME Dictionary is a minimal and straightforward dictionary app for Linux. GNOME dictionary is one of the official GNOME-3 applications and it is available in almost all major Linux distributions. It can query definitions of words and phrases from a number of online sources. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have any mechanism to download offline dictionary databases.

You can install GNOME Dictionary app in Ubuntu by using the command below:

$ sudo apt install gnome-dictionary

You can search in the package manager to install GNOME Dictionary in other Linux distributions. A download is also available on the Flathub app store.

Artha

Artha is an open source English thesaurus available for Linux and Windows. “Artha” is a Sanskrit / Hindi word which can be defined as “meaning or essence of something”. Artha comes with a built-in offline dictionary based on WordNet. You can invoke Artha by selecting any word from any running app by using <CTRL+ALT+W> keyboard shortcut (can be changed). Artha will automatically capture the highlighted word and show you a brief definition and related synonyms.

You can install Artha app in Ubuntu by using the command below:

$ sudo apt install artha

You can search in the package manager to install Artha in other Linux distributions. Additional instructions are available on its official website.

WordNet Browser

WordNet Browser is a simple dictionary app based on the free and multilingual dictionary database called “WordNet” (developed by Princeton University). The application supports full text search and search history to quickly browse previous lookups.

You can install WordNet Browser app in Ubuntu by executing the command mentioned below:

$ sudo apt install wordnet-gui

You can search in the package manager to install WordNet Browser in other Linux distributions. More download options are also available on its official website.

Xfce4 Dictionary

Xfce4 Dictionary can find word definitions as long as your Linux PC is connected to the Web. It is a part of the Xfce desktop environment and comes with a panel applet compatible with Xfce desktop. Xfce4 Dictionary can also be installed as a standalone dictionary app in other desktop environments as well.

You can install Xfce4 Dictionary app in Ubuntu by executing the command mentioned below:

$ sudo apt install xfce4-dict

You can search in the package manager to install Xfce4 Dictionary in other Linux distributions. More download options are also available on its official website.

Conclusion

These are some of the most popular online and offline dictionary applications available for Linux. If you are connected to the Internet, you can also try Google search to get word definitions by using the “define:word” pattern (e.g. define:banana).