Google appears to be running tests that swap out its traditional dictionary box with AI-generated overviews, and users aren’t happy about what they’re losing in the process.
Reports on Reddit show that the change is rolling out inconsistently, hitting some accounts while leaving others untouched. The frustrating thing is that there’s no option to switch back to the old format once you’ve been selected for the experiment.
The dictionary box has been a staple of Google Search since 2009. And over the years, Google built it into something far more useful than just showing what a word means.
The feature included an Ngram viewer that displayed how frequently a word appeared in books over time, etymology information showing where words came from, interactive synonym and antonym lists that let you jump between related terms, pronunciation guides, and translation options. For anyone writing, studying, or just curious about language, it became a go-to tool.
Now, some users are seeing AI-generated summaries instead, and they’re noticing what’s missing. The AI overview doesn’t provide all the different meanings a word might have, skips the distinction between noun and adjective forms, and drops features like the Ngram viewer entirely.
One Reddit user pointed out that searching for “define x” versus “x definition” can give you completely different results, which doesn’t make much sense for something as straightforward as looking up a word.
That said, the feature is clearly undergoing A/B testing at the time of this writing. The Reddit discussion shows that some users started seeing it two months ago, while fresh comments indicate that it has expanded to more users. I check to see if it pops up on my end, but I still see the traditional dictionary box when searching for word definitions/meanings.
For users who relied on the dictionary box’s features for writing or studying, the change feels like a downgrade. While AI summaries might work fine for complex queries that need information from multiple sources, replacing a straightforward dictionary lookup with AI-generated content seems like a solution looking for a problem. Google hasn’t officially commented on whether this change will become permanent or if they plan to give users a choice between the two formats.
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Dwayne Cubbins
1361 Posts
For nearly a decade, I've been deciphering the complexities of the tech world, with a particular passion for helping users navigate the ever-changing tech landscape. From crafting in-depth guides that unlock your phone's hidden potential to uncovering and explaining the latest bugs and glitches, I make sure you get the most out of your devices. And yes, you might occasionally find me ranting about some truly frustrating tech mishaps.
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