dilettante 1 of 2

dilettante

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noun

1
as in tinkerer
a person who regularly or occasionally engages in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession a dilettante at heart, she was never willing to commit the time and effort that ballet demands

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in scholar
dated a person having a knowledgeable and fine appreciation of the arts she writes about art not from the point of view of an artist but from that of a committed dilettante

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun dilettante differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dilettante are amateur, dabbler, and tyro. While all these words mean "a person who follows a pursuit without attaining proficiency or professional status," dilettante may apply to the lover of an art rather than its skilled practitioner but usually implies elegant trifling in the arts and an absence of serious commitment.

had no patience for dilettantes

When would amateur be a good substitute for dilettante?

Although the words amateur and dilettante have much in common, amateur often applies to one practicing an art without mastery of its essentials; in sports it may also suggest not so much lack of skill but avoidance of direct remuneration.

a painting obviously done by an amateur
remained an amateur despite lucrative offers

When is it sensible to use dabbler instead of dilettante?

The words dabbler and dilettante are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dabbler suggests desultory habits of work and lack of persistence.

a dabbler who started novels but never finished them

Where would tyro be a reasonable alternative to dilettante?

The meanings of tyro and dilettante largely overlap; however, tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering.

shows talent but is still a mere tyro

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 dilettante
Noun
Back in the 1930s, Cocteau was dubbed a dilettante. Harriet Quick, theweek, 17 July 2024 Bruce Wayne: To the public at large, Bruce Wayne is a shallow dilettante, apparently wasting his parents’ vast fortune on frivolous pursuits and hedonistic pleasures. Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 June 2024 Under the impression that Tom is good friends with his son, Dickie Greenleaf, a trust-fund dilettante who has decided to live in Italy to paint and dillydally instead of working with his father as planned, Mr. Greenleaf offers Tom money to go to Italy and convince the playboy to come home. Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2024 An even simpler reason is that Trump is a vain, distractible dilettante. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for dilettante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilettante
Noun
  • In 2024, Clanton became the first amateur to finish top-10 in four PGA Tour events in one year since Jack Nicklaus in 1961, and was runner-up at the John Deere Classic and the RSM Classic.
    Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 21 June 2025
  • Oh, and by the way, the Aztecs’ Justin Hastings was low amateur at the U.S. Open.
    Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2025
Noun
  • The paper was published last month by a team of computer scientists and legal scholars from Stanford, Cornell, and West Virginia University.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 20 June 2025
  • But some, including legal scholars from New York University’s Brennan Center, have argued a potential loophole exists unless Congress bans using the National Guard to enforce the law in other states without gubernatorial consent.
    Davis Winkie, USA Today, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • The best Amazon coffee makers are high quality and cater to everyone from connoisseurs to brewing newbies.
    Sarah Madaus, Architectural Digest, 20 June 2025
  • Like sommeliers who make wine accessible to novices while satisfying connoisseurs, effective tech leaders communicate complex concepts clearly to diverse audiences.
    Dennis Kozak, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • For Oz devotees and collectors, there are countless clothbound classics, mesmerizing pop-up books, and an annotated text by Michael Patrick Hearn—a fascinating archive for anyone looking for a line-by-line deep dive into Baum’s inspirations and themes.
    Hazel Gaynor June 18, Literary Hub, 18 June 2025
  • Mah Jongg programming at hotels and resorts is geared both to novices and devotees of the game.
    Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dilettante.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilettante. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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