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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Dissimilar Words
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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Quarterback Haynes King and running back Jamal Haynes lead a very entertaining rushing attack, and Georgia Tech brings back the man pulling the strings on offense, coordinator Buster Faulkner.—
Antonio Morales,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
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Jim, Mike, Joe and Bill were The Dooley Brothers band, as entertaining and durable as any band in the city’s musical history.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Aug. 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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But his fiery presence on the court—and goofy persona off it—have made Medvedev a fan favorite.—
Brett Knight,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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David Ketchum, the goofy comic actor and prolific TV writer best known for squeezing into such stuffy spaces as vending machines, trash cans and airport lockers as Agent 13 on the fabled sitcom Get Smart, has died.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Clarksville hosts Blackman in what should be one of the more fun games of Week 1.—
Jacob Shames,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
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Richard Deitsch has an extremely fun list of the 25 most impactful play-by-play voices of the 21st century.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The fact that revenues are rising as fast as expenses has led to excess — bordering on frivolous — spending by athletic departments.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
24 Aug. 2025
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And the very act of writing felt like a frivolous use of time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Many years have passed, and when the three return home for their mother’s third wedding, each sister is dysfunctional in her own distinct, often amusing way.—
Gracie Wiener,
Air Mail,
16 Aug. 2025
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One of the people who took notice of Sanders' standout performance was Browns general manager Andrew Berry, who congratulated the rookie on his NFL debut and shared an amusing exchange with him in the process.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Alcaraz and Sinner are early enough in their careers that debates around their legacies feel silly.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
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Evans described Steve as goofy, silly, and full of charm, with a love for food and people alike.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Talk of mounting nuclear readiness towards Russia, which has more atomic weapons than any other country in the world, could overshadow more trifling domestic matters, like the Epstein scandal, for instance.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
2 Aug. 2025
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Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dabbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dabbling. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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