> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.camb.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Delete a Dictionary

> Permanently removes a dictionary and all its associated terms and translations from the system. This irreversible action completely eliminates the dictionary's data and cannot be undone.

## Overview

Deleting a dictionary represents one of the most consequential operations you can perform in a dictionary management system. Unlike updating or retrieving information, deletion is permanent and irreversible, making it essential to understand both the technical mechanics and the broader implications of this action before implementing it in your applications.
When you delete a dictionary, you're not simply removing a reference or hiding the content from view. Instead, you're instructing the system to completely eliminate the dictionary and everything it contains from the database. This includes not only the dictionary's identifying information and metadata, but also every single term-translation pair that was stored within it.

## Understanding the Permanence of Deletion

The irreversible nature of dictionary deletion serves important purposes in data management, but it also creates significant responsibilities for developers and users. From a system perspective, permanent deletion helps maintain database efficiency by truly removing unused data rather than simply marking it as inactive. This approach prevents the accumulation of obsolete records that could slow down queries and consume storage space unnecessarily.
However, this permanence also means that any applications, workflows, or users that depend on the deleted dictionary will immediately lose access to that data. References to the dictionary will become invalid, translation lookups will fail, and any cached content based on that dictionary may become inconsistent with the system state. Understanding these cascading effects helps you design better error handling and user communication around deletion operations.


## OpenAPI

````yaml delete /dictionaries/{dictionary_id}
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  title: FastAPI
  version: 0.1.0
servers:
  - url: https://client.camb.ai/apis
security: []
paths:
  /dictionaries/{dictionary_id}:
    delete:
      tags:
        - Apis
        - Dictionaries
      summary: Delete Dictionary
      operationId: delete_dictionary_dictionaries__dictionary_id__delete
      parameters:
        - name: dictionary_id
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/DictionaryIDPathParam'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Successful Response
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/DictionaryCreated'
        '422':
          description: Validation Error
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/HTTPValidationError'
      security:
        - APIKeyHeader: []
components:
  schemas:
    DictionaryIDPathParam:
      type: integer
      title: Dictionary Id
      description: >-
        This parameter tells the API exactly which dictionary you're interested
        in. Each dictionary in the system has a unique numerical ID that serves
        as its primary identifier.
    DictionaryCreated:
      properties:
        message:
          type: string
          title: Message
          description: >-
            Human-readable feedback that communicates the outcome of the
            dictionary operation with actionable context for your application
            users. This message provides essential information about operation
            success, partial completion scenarios, or guidance for addressing
            any issues that occurred during processing.
        status:
          type: string
          title: Status
          description: >-
            Standardized operation outcome indicator that enables programmatic
            response handling across all dictionary management workflows. This
            status field provides consistent, machine-readable confirmation of
            operation results, allowing your application logic to branch
            appropriately between success scenarios, partial completion cases,
            and error conditions.
    HTTPValidationError:
      properties:
        detail:
          items:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ValidationError'
          type: array
          title: Detail
      type: object
      title: HTTPValidationError
    ValidationError:
      properties:
        loc:
          items:
            anyOf:
              - type: string
              - type: integer
          type: array
          title: Location
        msg:
          type: string
          title: Message
        type:
          type: string
          title: Error Type
      type: object
      required:
        - loc
        - msg
        - type
      title: ValidationError
  securitySchemes:
    APIKeyHeader:
      type: apiKey
      in: header
      name: x-api-key
      description: >-
        The `x-api-key` is a custom header required for authenticating requests
        to our API. Include this header in your request with the appropriate API
        key value to securely access our endpoints. You can find your API key(s)
        in the 'API' section of our studio website.

````