as in amateur
a person who regularly or occasionally engages in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession
the discussion about investing was geared more to the layman than to the professional investor
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Recent Examples of layman
Both professionals and laymen have developed an interest in tracking litigation because of the broad range of industries and people affected by the administration’s changes, experts and media professionals said.
—
Surina Venkat, The Hill, 1 Jan. 2026
Space is full of mysteries that can't be easily explained by the layman, and this latest one from a isn't likely to sour anyone on their fascination with space.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
For laymen, these molecules are involved in chemical reactions that lead to more complex molecules essential to organic life.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
Still, this hasn't quelled the anxieties of anyone with a professional or layman's interest in space science.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layman
Surina Venkat, The Hill, 1 Jan. 2026
Space is full of mysteries that can't be easily explained by the layman, and this latest one from a isn't likely to sour anyone on their fascination with space.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
For laymen, these molecules are involved in chemical reactions that lead to more complex molecules essential to organic life.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
Still, this hasn't quelled the anxieties of anyone with a professional or layman's interest in space science.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layman
Noun
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The 28-year-old Hoerner was selected by Chicago in the first round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Stanford University.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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Cronenworth has always been quite the worker and quite the tinkerer in the cage.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Layman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layman. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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