TINKERER Synonyms: 24 Similar and Opposite Words

tinkerer

noun

Definition of tinkerer

as in amateur

a person who regularly or occasionally engages in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession he's been tinkering with cars since he was a kid, and now he's a tinkerer who knows nearly as much as a mechanic

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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 tinkerer When an experiment fails, the tinkerer does not collapse emotionally. — Lintao "lt" Lu, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 In the coming months, the company plans to add more functionality and self-serve features to allow a wider range of use cases and users, eventually reaching individual tinkerers. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 21 July 2026 Enthusiasts and tinkerers alike are building their own versions using Open Source software and inexpensive hardware. — New Atlas, 18 July 2026 Amodei’s assessment of the dangers may be right or wrong, but an ad that grapples with those risks is arguably more honest than previous campaigns that present Claude as a tool for tinkerers and problem solvers. — Harry Booth, Time, 17 July 2026 Enter Eldridge Johnson, an American businessman and tinkerer who founded the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1901 amid a messy landscape of copyright battles and patent filings. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026 On the other hand, some tinkerers have already shared details on how to keep the disabled routers working. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026 Sholes, a printer and newspaper editor, was a bit of a tinkerer. — Andrew Niemchick Britannica Editors June 17, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 June 2026 The 19th-century patent system rewarded tinkerers; corporate labs scaled systematic research; wartime partnerships mobilized national resources; and venture capital democratized risk-taking. — David H. Hsu, Fortune, 11 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkerer

Noun

Contrary to perceptions, nonprofit workers aren’t well-meaning amateurs waiting for tech to save the day, but savvy operators with deep community knowledge and relationships that can’t simply be replicated.

— Max Simkoff, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
The interior minister said that the operation did not appear to be the work of amateurs but rather had been professionally planned and executed.

— Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of amateur

Noun

Some of this new breed of travel and food reviewers started as hobbyists and now do it full-time.

— Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
There are almost countless podcasts—some owned by major media outlets, some run by hobbyists—that recap TV shows and dissect movie trailers.

— Daniel Strauss, Vanity Fair, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of hobbyist

Noun

Although made for a range of sports instead of boating, the Champion launched as Keds’ first shoe in 1916, and the layman would have a hard time telling it apart from the Authentic with nearly identical stitching forming its upper.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 26 June 2026
The team is more than happy to translate this to layman’s terms, all while pouring tastes of its cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, grenache, and sauvignon blanc.

— Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 16 June 2026

Definition of layman

Noun

Supporters had campaigned for Merlin to be allowed into the Azteca to witness Mexico’s final group game — but the dabbler found his free passage impeded on Wednesday evening by FIFA regulations.

— Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026
In 1937, Stalin, himself a former dabbler in the language, reversed course on Esperanto and herded its speakers into gulags on account of its internationalist appeal.

— Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026