Synonym Chooser

How does the noun tyro differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of tyro are amateur, dabbler, and dilettante. While all these words mean "a person who follows a pursuit without attaining proficiency or professional status," tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering.

shows talent but is still a mere tyro

When could amateur be used to replace tyro?

While the synonyms amateur and tyro are close in meaning, amateur often applies to one practicing an art without mastery of its essentials; in sports it may also suggest not so much lack of skill but avoidance of direct remuneration.

a painting obviously done by an amateur
remained an amateur despite lucrative offers

In what contexts can dabbler take the place of tyro?

The synonyms dabbler and tyro are sometimes interchangeable, but dabbler suggests desultory habits of work and lack of persistence.

a dabbler who started novels but never finished them

When can dilettante be used instead of tyro?

The meanings of dilettante and tyro largely overlap; however, dilettante may apply to the lover of an art rather than its skilled practitioner but usually implies elegant trifling in the arts and an absence of serious commitment.

had no patience for dilettantes

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 tyro If Fishman’s math holds up, ESPN could be looking at a 20% boost in overall revenue in just seven years’ time—a feat that likely would be wholly improbable if the sports unit were to maintain the status quo or promote the streaming tyro at the expense of the foundational TV network. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Dec. 2024 Rabe also steers the movie’s helm, alongside her life partner and fellow actor Hamish Linklater, and the tyro directors manage to thread a tricky needle with their first feature, navigating the chasm and the overlap between agitated and quiet, between cartoon brightness and angst. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 June 2023 This intelligent, sensitive treatment of the rarely seen, everyday lives of young Palestinian citizens of Israel marks tyro feature writer-director Firas Khoury as a talent to watch, as well as a solid acquisition for Film Movement, the North American distributor. Alissa Simon, Variety, 22 Nov. 2022 Ayyub played another student leader, a tyro named Shiva Shekhar—not quite the main role, but a key one nevertheless, and a fillip to his career. Samanth Subramanian, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2022 Outfitted in progressively more luscious frocks by Susan Hilferty, Feldstein makes a journey from nervy tyro to nervier pro. Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2022 The songs on the young rock tyro's debut album Teenage Heartbreak (out Friday) channel the irresistible riffs, explosive choruses and mix of lust, heartache, rebellion and angst that defined pop-punk's golden age. John Norris, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2021 When a tyro Steve Jobs or Bill Gates moved a lever back and forth, different configurations of those cylinders caused the Digi-Comp to compute Boolean logic operations. Jim Sullivan, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2014
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyro
Noun
  • Instructors are on hand to teach novices.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
  • For seasoned cooks and kitchen novices, cookbook author and nutritionist Robin Miller takes it back to basics with great, family-friendly recipes worth making over and over again.
    Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Pace put different people through the paces of different things on different equipment and surfaces, ranging from some beginner movements to some rather acrobatic moves by a woman visiting from South Korea that looked a lot like gymnastics.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Resembling a minnow near the surface of the water, these rental boats come with easy instructions for beginners who are unfamiliar with how to operate the canal’s lock system along the way.
    Jason Mastrodonato, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • On top of that, several apprentice dancers have been promoted, as have a few from CB2, Cincinnati Ballet’s second company.
    David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Additionally, Brown, who has been tattooing for 20 years, is now training apprentices in his shop.
    Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Although many have tried to make a case for the rookie taking the reins, Brian Daboll has maintained a firm stance.
    Kevin McCormick, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
  • After missing a chunk of his rookie campaign, Caglianone is back with the Royals.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Anderson’s ensemble—Regina Hall, Wood Harris, newcomer Chase Infiniti—signals scale and stakes.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 10 Sep. 2025
  • More than just a coffee shop, Refuge has a workforce-development program to help newcomers get settled, connect with people, and learn skills to assist them in building new lives.
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Redshirt junior Colton Boomer and true freshman Canaan Moore ach missed a field goal — Boomer from 46 yards and Moore from 24.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 6 Sep. 2025
  • This was the case for me, as a freshman who was secretly stuck in a cycle of binge eating and restriction but whose outer appearance didn’t change.
    Mallary Tenore Tarpley, Time, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tyro.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyro. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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