as in amateur
lacking or showing a lack of expert skill
many dilettante efforts could be seen at the sidewalk art show
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in tinkerer
a person who regularly or occasionally engages in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession
a dilettante at heart, she was never willing to commit the time and effort that ballet demands
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in scholar
dated
a person having a knowledgeable and fine appreciation of the arts
she writes about art not from the point of view of an artist but from that of a committed dilettante
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dilettante
Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 June 2024
Under the impression that Tom is good friends with his son, Dickie Greenleaf, a trust-fund dilettante who has decided to live in Italy to paint and dillydally instead of working with his father as planned, Mr. Greenleaf offers Tom money to go to Italy and convince the playboy to come home.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2024
An even simpler reason is that Trump is a vain, distractible dilettante.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024
By then, the mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot had gained a reputation as an academic dilettante.
—Quanta Magazine, 26 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dilettante
Noun
Bruce Wayne: To the public at large, Bruce Wayne is a shallow dilettante, apparently wasting his parents’ vast fortune on frivolous pursuits and hedonistic pleasures.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 June 2024
Under the impression that Tom is good friends with his son, Dickie Greenleaf, a trust-fund dilettante who has decided to live in Italy to paint and dillydally instead of working with his father as planned, Mr. Greenleaf offers Tom money to go to Italy and convince the playboy to come home.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2024
An even simpler reason is that Trump is a vain, distractible dilettante.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024
By then, the mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot had gained a reputation as an academic dilettante.
—Quanta Magazine, 26 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dilettante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilettante
Noun
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Youth, for photographers age 17 or younger; Novice, for new and less experienced photo hobbyists; and advanced amateur/professional, for experienced photographers who have practiced and honed their skills over time.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Apr. 2025
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When amateurs chase new strategies, smart players develop a system from what already works.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Møller had an initial career as a literary scholar, then spent many years as a politician, and is now back to writing.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
21 Apr. 2025
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Wine scholars among us will recognize this as a mix of red and white grapes, with white allowed only in very small amounts.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The shots showcase the tunnel outfit connoisseur and Cleveland Brown player Grant Delpit in addition to Arianna Hawkins and Qesco.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
24 Apr. 2025
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Libin Men's Lightweight Joggers $50 $28 at Amazon Athleisure connoisseurs regularly compare Libin joggers to pricey, high-end brands.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the premier motorsport entity now has its zeitgeist captured in a book that should be required reading for neophytes and ardent devotees alike—Grands Prix: 75 Years of Formula One Racing.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
14 Apr. 2025
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But these weren’t just devotees of the cult TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.—
Zena Tsarfin,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dilettante.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilettante. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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