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
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
Unlike her earlier Fame Monster remixes, which served utilitarian club fodder to capitalize on her debut, Dawn delightfully surrendered its source material to a wise cast of pop, rap, and dance tinkerers like Ashnikko and Dorian Electra.
—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
The Mac mini has become a status symbol among AI tinkerers, and some analysts say the device’s growing popularity may preface a broader shift in how people use computers.
—
Cnn.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Woo has always been a builder, a tinkerer, a fixer.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
1 Apr. 2026
Cronenworth has always been quite the worker and quite the tinkerer in the cage.
—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
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
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
Unlike her earlier Fame Monster remixes, which served utilitarian club fodder to capitalize on her debut, Dawn delightfully surrendered its source material to a wise cast of pop, rap, and dance tinkerers like Ashnikko and Dorian Electra.
—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
The Mac mini has become a status symbol among AI tinkerers, and some analysts say the device’s growing popularity may preface a broader shift in how people use computers.
—
Cnn.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Woo has always been a builder, a tinkerer, a fixer.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
1 Apr. 2026
Cronenworth has always been quite the worker and quite the tinkerer in the cage.
—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkerer
Noun
-
Thinking otherwise is the mistake of amateurs and dilettantes.
-
There are two weeks to go before the MLB amateur draft July 11-14.
Noun
-
In addition, its luxury pricing will turn off many hobbyists and content creators who are scrabbling to make ends meet.
-
The surge in demand for Beyblade has seen hobbyists lining up outside toy shops in Taiwan and Hong Kong, with some traveling as far as Japan to get their hands on the rarest models, which are being resold for up to $80 by scalpers online, 10 times more than the original price.
Noun
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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.
-
In the United States, the layman can do this any day of the week, especially Saturday, if the weather is nice.
Noun
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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.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Tinkerer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkerer. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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