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
He will be called a fascist and a coward and a dilettante. The Editors, National Review, 31 Oct. 2024 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 See All Example Sentences for dilettante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilettante
Adjective
  • On June 25, 2025, Rick Nolthenius, an astronomer at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, and his former student, amateur astronomer Kirk Bender, set out to observe the Quaoar system during an occultation.
    Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • This one-time purchase grants access to Skylum's full suite of photo-editing tools, available for both Windows and macOS, and is a smart investment for amateur photographers.
    StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • His uncle Leo, a naval engineer, noticed that his nephew was a budding tinkerer and gave him a Kodak photo-chemistry set for his sixth birthday.
    Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2025
  • At $3,499, it is clearly not priced for small-scale tinkerers.
    Dave Altavilla, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Leading genocide scholars passed a resolution this week that declared Israel’s actions in Gaza had met the legal definition of genocide.
    Jade Walker, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, meanwhile, is referred to by public scholars and media in a variety of ways that emphasize Russia or President Vladimir Putin as an aggressive antagonist.
    Esther Brito Ruiz, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Since the election, Reform has tried to refashion itself from a protest vote party to one that could govern – untried and inexperienced, but ready to step in if the Labour Party buckles under its own blunders, and the once-mighty Conservatives drift further into political irrelevance.
    Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
  • His emergence has enabled a talented, inexperienced team find its early identity.
    Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The one that connoisseurs tend to care about the most, of course, is India Pale Ale.
    Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The high-art connoisseur let the truth be known within the comment section of a The Shade Room post of him and Keys dancing together while on a trip celebrating their 15-year anniversary.
    Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Greek auteur has worked with better scripts in the past, but in terms of its commanding performances, design, sharply precise cinematography, gleefully cruel humor, and bizarro ending, this madcap thriller can’t help but hit the spot for existing devotees.
    Radhika Seth, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Thomas’ grandfather — the late opera singer and jazz devotee John Anthony, who starred in the original Broadway production of Porgy & Bess — laid the family’s entire foundation.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dilettante.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilettante. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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