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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Recent Examples of tinkerer
Blanc, who lived in Des Moines, Iowa, wasn’t the first tinkerer to try unclogging drains by running a cable through pipes.
—
Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Jan. 2026
Micron’s Crucial brand sold memory on sticks that tinkerers could use to build their own PCs or upgrade their laptops.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2025
The Ringbrothers Kingpin was unveiled at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show (SEMA) in Las Vegas, which is a haven for aftermarket wizards, tuners, and auto tinkerers of all stripes.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025
How would the tinkerer-in-chief Guardiola galaxy-brain his way around this clash of styles?
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
From the early tinkerers who first imagined electrical speech to the engineers who built continental cables, digital switching, satellites, and wireless networks, countless inventors have pushed the limits of how far and how fast a human voice can travel.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
The printer works best with its own software and accessories, which could frustrate tinkerers who prefer open systems.
—PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Founded by engineers, designers, and lifelong tinkerers frustrated by the barriers to traditional CNC manufacturing, the company’s mission is to make powerful digital fabrication tools smarter, simpler, and more accessible.
—New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025
This Space Cowboys vibe makes sense because this tech boom looks less like the last one — social apps powered by subway ads and nap pods — than the 1980s PC revolution, powered by tinkerers with motherboards and soldering irons.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Jan. 2026
Micron’s Crucial brand sold memory on sticks that tinkerers could use to build their own PCs or upgrade their laptops.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2025
The Ringbrothers Kingpin was unveiled at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show (SEMA) in Las Vegas, which is a haven for aftermarket wizards, tuners, and auto tinkerers of all stripes.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025
How would the tinkerer-in-chief Guardiola galaxy-brain his way around this clash of styles?
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
From the early tinkerers who first imagined electrical speech to the engineers who built continental cables, digital switching, satellites, and wireless networks, countless inventors have pushed the limits of how far and how fast a human voice can travel.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
The printer works best with its own software and accessories, which could frustrate tinkerers who prefer open systems.
—PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Founded by engineers, designers, and lifelong tinkerers frustrated by the barriers to traditional CNC manufacturing, the company’s mission is to make powerful digital fabrication tools smarter, simpler, and more accessible.
—New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025
This Space Cowboys vibe makes sense because this tech boom looks less like the last one — social apps powered by subway ads and nap pods — than the 1980s PC revolution, powered by tinkerers with motherboards and soldering irons.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkerer
Noun
-
Musk, who owns X, wants to promote the belief that the truth can be found on social media, and that the practitioners of real journalism are allegedly independent amateurs, such as Shirley, who can ask questions without being cowed by the woke agenda.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2026
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Some of the amateur sleuthing is missing important context, said Nancy Gutierrez, a spokesperson for Washington’s Department of Children, Youth & Families.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The call for proposals is open to both professional artists and hobbyists living in Cass, Clay, Douglas, Jackson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami, Platte and Wyandotte counties.—
Beth Lipoff,
Kansas City Star,
9 Jan. 2026
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Although top-end equipment will certainly work better than your AirPods, the Apple earbuds should be good enough for most casual users and hobbyists.—
David Nield,
Popular Science,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
So these two feel like the perfect guides to help a layman understand the Musk phenomenon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
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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
Noun
-
Splurges: There are whiskey dabblers, and then there are serious Irish whiskey aficionados.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
4 Dec. 2025
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Not dabblers in the slave trade, tycoons of the slave trade.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tinkerer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkerer. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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