Unlike many modern linguists who favor descriptivism (how people actually talk), Denegri leaned toward a disciplined prescriptivism. He believed that the popularization of an error does not make it a "truth." Key Themes in Denegri's Lexicographic Work

Denegri often noted that his work was for the "sapientes" (those with knowledge) while providing "useful and curious" facts for everyone else.

Examine how a non-academic (he was a lawyer by training) shaped public discourse on language through mass media, contrasting with academic lexicographers.