Oxford Dictionaries API
★ Only Publicly Available OpenAPI DocumentData EnrichmentData TransformationapiKey24 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Look up word definitions, lemmas, inflections, synonyms, translations, and pronunciations across many languages through 24 Oxford Dictionaries endpoints.
Use for: Get the definition of a word in English, Find the lemma for an inflected verb form, Pull synonyms and antonyms for a word, Translate a word from English to Spanish
Not supported: Does not perform full-sentence machine translation, run grammar correction, or write to the dictionary — use for read-only lexical lookup, search, and reference data only.
Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for the Oxford Dictionaries API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. The Oxford Dictionaries API gives access to Oxford's lexical data — definitions, lemmas, inflections, synonyms, translations, sentences, and pronunciations — alongside utility endpoints that describe supported languages, lexical categories, registers, domains, and grammatical features. The 24 endpoints are read-only GETs and span both the sandbox and live hosts; production calls require app_id and app_key headers issued from the Oxford Dictionaries developer portal.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the Oxford Dictionaries API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the Oxford Dictionaries API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with Oxford Dictionaries API.
Get definitions and senses for a headword via GET /entries/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Find the dictionary headword (lemma) for any inflected form via GET /lemmas/{source_lang}/{word_id}
List inflected forms of a word via GET /inflections/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Search the dictionary by prefix or fuzzy match via GET /search/{source_lang} and /search/thesaurus/{source_lang}
Translate a word from one language to another via GET /translations/{source_lang}/{target_lang}/{word_id}
Pull synonyms, antonyms, sentences, and pronunciations via /thesaurus/{source_lang}/{word_id}, /sentences/{source_lang}/{word_id}, and /pronunciations/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Discover supported languages, lexical categories, registers, domains, and grammatical features via /languages, /lexicalCategories, /registers, /domains, /grammaticalFeatures
Use Cases
Patterns agents use Oxford Dictionaries API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Lexical lookup in a learning app
Language-learning and reading apps can call /entries/{source_lang}/{word_id} for definitions, /pronunciations/{source_lang}/{word_id} for audio cues, and /sentences/{source_lang}/{word_id} for usage examples on tap. The /lemmas endpoint resolves any inflected form (e.g., 'running' to 'run') so the app can look up the canonical entry. Together these give a rich lexical experience without licensing your own dictionary corpus.
GET /lemmas/en/running, take the headword, then GET /entries/en/run to render the definition and senses in the app.
Translation and synonym pipelines
Editorial and localisation pipelines can call /translations/{source_lang}/{target_lang}/{word_id} for word-level translations and /thesaurus/{source_lang}/{word_id} for in-language synonyms. The /search/translations endpoint helps when the source word is not yet known to be a headword. This is suitable for in-context word-replacement features inside writing tools and CMSs.
GET /translations/en/es/innovate to surface Spanish translations for a writing tool's tooltip.
Inflection and morphology research
Researchers and grammar-checking tools can use /inflections/{source_lang}/{word_id} and /grammaticalFeatures/{source_lang} to inspect how Oxford categorises a word's morphology. /lexicalCategories/{source_lang} surfaces the supported parts of speech, and /registers and /domains expose Oxford's stylistic and topical classifications. The metadata endpoints let a tool stay aligned with Oxford's taxonomy as it evolves.
GET /inflections/en/be to retrieve am, is, are, was, were, been for a grammar-checking rule.
Agent-driven dictionary tools
An AI assistant in a writing tool can answer 'define this word', 'give me a synonym', or 'translate this word to Spanish' by routing through the Oxford Dictionaries API via Jentic. Jentic returns the right operation schema and adds the app_id and app_key headers from the vault at execution, so the user's Oxford keys never enter the agent's context.
Through Jentic, search 'define a word in English', load the /entries/{source_lang}/{word_id} operation, and execute with source_lang=en and the word the user selected.
Key Endpoints
24 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for the oxford dictionaries api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
GET
/entries/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Get definitions and senses
GET
/lemmas/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Get the headword for an inflected form
GET
/inflections/{source_lang}/{word_id}
List inflections of a word
GET
/thesaurus/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Get synonyms and antonyms
GET
/translations/{source_lang}/{target_lang}/{word_id}
Translate a word into a target language
GET
/sentences/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Get example sentences
GET
/search/{source_lang}
Prefix and fuzzy search the dictionary
GET
/languages
List supported languages and dictionary pairs
GET
/entries/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Get definitions and senses
GET
/lemmas/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Get the headword for an inflected form
GET
/inflections/{source_lang}/{word_id}
List inflections of a word
GET
/thesaurus/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Get synonyms and antonyms
GET
/translations/{source_lang}/{target_lang}/{word_id}
Translate a word into a target language
GET
/sentences/{source_lang}/{word_id}
Get example sentences
GET
/search/{source_lang}
Prefix and fuzzy search the dictionary
GET
/languages
List supported languages and dictionary pairs
Why Jentic?
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
Your Oxford app_id and app_key are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. Agents call operations through scoped Jentic tokens and the app_id and app_key headers are added at execution, so the raw credentials never reach the agent.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search by intent (e.g., 'define a word' or 'translate a word') and Jentic returns the matching Oxford operations with their source_lang and target_lang parameters resolved.
Time to first call
Direct Oxford integration takes a day to wire up the lemma-then-entry lookup pattern, language metadata, and quota handling. Through Jentic the same operations are executable in minutes.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using Oxford Dictionaries API through Jentic.
Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for the Oxford Dictionaries API?
Oxford publishes documentation at developer.oxforddictionaries.com but does not publish a single OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call the Oxford Dictionaries API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.
What authentication does the Oxford Dictionaries API use?
Production calls require app_id and app_key headers, both issued from the Oxford Dictionaries developer portal. The sandbox host (od-api-sandbox.oxforddictionaries.com) accepts the same credentials with reduced data. Through Jentic the app_id and app_key are stored in the vault and added to the request headers at execution, so the raw keys never reach the agent.
Can I look up a definition for any inflected form?
Yes, but in two steps. First call GET /lemmas/{source_lang}/{word_id} to resolve the headword for the inflected form, then GET /entries/{source_lang}/{word_id} with that headword to get the definition. Calling /entries directly with an inflected form will often return no match.
What languages and translations does the API support?
Call GET /languages to list supported source languages and translation pairs at runtime — the supported set varies by Oxford subscription. Use /translations/{source_lang}/{target_lang}/{word_id} for word-level translation and /search/translations/{source_lang}/{target_lang} when the source word may need fuzzy resolution.
What are the rate limits for the Oxford Dictionaries API?
The OpenAPI spec does not declare rate limits. Oxford applies per-plan monthly request quotas and a per-second request rate visible on the developer dashboard. Treat HTTP 429 as a signal to back off and consult your dashboard for the limits attached to your plan.
How do I get example sentences for a word through Jentic?
Through Jentic, search 'get example sentences for a word', load the /sentences/{source_lang}/{word_id} operation, and execute with source_lang=en and the resolved headword. Jentic injects the app_id and app_key headers from the vault.
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