as in delighting
to take part in an activity in a superficial way
She dabbled in drawing and painting but sculpture was her favorite medium.
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as in entertaining
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dabbling
Alayna Alvarez, Axios, 31 Mar. 2025
Success doesn’t come from dabbling in a dozen different directions.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
His father, Jean-Philippe, was a basketball player and after dabbling in basketball and soccer, Fils chose tennis.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Clones are as much a sci-fi staple as robots, spaceships, and time travel, with every major franchise dabbling with duplicates somewhere down the line.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dabbling
Adjective
Thanks to wetland protections, dabbling and diving duck populations have jumped 24% since 1970, while waterbirds are up 16%, per the report.
—Alayna Alvarez, Axios, 31 Mar. 2025
Success doesn’t come from dabbling in a dozen different directions.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
His father, Jean-Philippe, was a basketball player and after dabbling in basketball and soccer, Fils chose tennis.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Clones are as much a sci-fi staple as robots, spaceships, and time travel, with every major franchise dabbling with duplicates somewhere down the line.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dabbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dabbling
Adjective
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Over the past year, the entertaining expert’s wardrobe has received no shortage of heart eyes from me — her gold sandals, leopard print bag, and crochet sweater are just a few examples.—
Jamie Allison Sanders,
People.com,
25 July 2025
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The result was an extremely entertaining and wild bout that broke the standard Hogan formula.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Further factions emerge from there, as people start playing the game within the Squid Game, forming pockets of friendships and alliances, real and fake.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 Dec. 2024
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The World Junior tournament is always good for some surprises; a couple of unexpected players emerging as top scorers or playing well in big moments, or a traditional top nation getting upset in the medal round.—
Corey Pronman,
The Athletic,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Just a lot of good places to take goofy selfies and places for the kids to run around.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
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At first, Star Wars was a goofy space opera, entertaining and box office gold, but only really taken seriously by nerds.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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Snapping photos and posting them on social media is a fun way to share a travel adventure.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
14 July 2025
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From fun bikinis and breezy sundresses to wide-leg pants and cute tops for up to 65 percent off, these picks from Amazon, Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, and Abercrombie all come in at under $50.—
Jeaneen Russell,
People.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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In the course of a few weeks, Paramount has bent the knee and paid $16 million to Donald Trump to resolve a frivolous lawsuit, giving him a huge victory over CBS News.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
31 July 2025
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While many assume fashion is frivolous, the truth of the matter is our outward appearance can have a big impact on our lives.—
Kimberly Zapata,
Parents,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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The scene was more amusing than threatening — onlookers whipped out cell phone cameras to document the sight of horses traversing the grounds.—
Jim Newton,
Mercury News,
12 July 2025
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For two-thirds of the day, as the peloton rolled through Brittany, the majority of soundbites ranged from frivolous to downright amusing.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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There were no costumes, no silly dances or hit parodies.—
Courtney Devores,
Charlotte Observer,
28 July 2025
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That may sound silly to some, Foster said, but the work done by the Environmental Protection Agency in placing bands on birds and following the migration of bees informs officials about the impact of projects on the environment.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 July 2025
Adjective
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Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
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Frankly, the more trifling the crime, the better this franchise’s comedy aspirations would work.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dabbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dabbling. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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