dilettantes

variants or dilettanti
Definition of dilettantesnext
plural of dilettante
1
as in amateurs
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in scholars
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

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 dilettantes Packer and Srulovich aren’t dilettantes, either. Lela London, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilettantes
Noun
  • Research shows many runners already under-consume carbs, with amateurs—who often lack sports‑nutrition guidance—being especially prone to inadequate intake.
    Outside, Outside, 24 Mar. 2026
  • And in fact, in the 19th century, scientists that did science out of the pure love of doing science and not as a job were amateurs.
    Mariel Carr, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • When China began to dominate that metric, some of its universities were paying cash rewards to scholars for each publication, and a lot of Chinese research papers were shoddy make-work.
    Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
  • As scholars of post-9/11 racialization have shown, people taken to be Arab or Middle Eastern were widely cast as potential security threats, regardless of their religious identity.
    Candace Lukasik, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Rather than targeting end users, the company aims to empower developers, researchers, and tinkerers to create breakthrough humanoid applications without building full robots from scratch.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Dedicated sports engineers and tinkerers alike continue to fine tune specialized skate designs.
    Mark Hay, Popular Science, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Available in two different colorways, conservative design connoisseurs will likely find comfort in the classic blue and natural beige color combo, while the punchy purple and green option might entice those with more adventurous color appetites.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 17 Mar. 2026
  • The Experimental Group started as cocktail connoisseurs with bars in Paris and London before branching into restaurants and rooms, which means these creative libations are probably the best in town.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dilettantes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilettantes. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on dilettantes

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster