as in hobby
an activity outside of one's regular occupation that is engaged in primarily for pleasure
photography is merely an avocation for me—I've never tried to make money off of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of avocation
What began as an avocation turned into a serious occupation, as Fox Solomon turned to documenting the remnants of segregation visible in Chattanooga and across the South.
—
Christina Cacouris, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
Dramatically groaning and moaning about the heat in the summer is my avocation.
—Sherry Kuehl, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2024
Wine, however, was an avocation that eventually became part of his portfolio.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 18 June 2024
And the Romans had other, less-objectionable avocations.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for avocation
Christina Cacouris, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
Dramatically groaning and moaning about the heat in the summer is my avocation.
—Sherry Kuehl, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2024
Wine, however, was an avocation that eventually became part of his portfolio.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 18 June 2024
And the Romans had other, less-objectionable avocations.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for avocation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avocation
Noun
-
Giampaolo Dallara had a slightly different Covid-19 lockdown hobby than the rest of us.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Create that profile or summary statement, frontload your strengths and best skills, write those descriptions of your best projects and achievements in jobs past, describe your volunteer and community work, share those hobbies and interests.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The South African competition framework was one of the biggest barriers to MTN’s pursuit of Telkom, the third largest network which also runs the biggest fiber optic network in Africa’s biggest economy.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Nathan Lane dryly observed that Chalamet said all this while promoting a movie about Ping-Pong—another pursuit of no interest to huge numbers of people.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
It's called Ced’s Corner, from the mind of the American-Statesman’s resident sports columnist, the 2025 NSMA Texas Sportswriter of the Year.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
-
As March Madness is underway, the debate over whether or not to legalize sports betting in Minnesota is once again a hot topic at the state Capitol.—
John Lauritsen,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The interview was filmed in front of a live audience in a recreation of the iconic Stewart ranch-style home.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
-
In recent years, Lyons has amassed nearly 1 million followers on Instagram and half a million on TikTok for his hilarious impersonations of outdoor recreation stereotypes.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Avocation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avocation. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
