dilettantism

Definition of dilettantismnext
as in amateurism
a lack of the level of skill associated with an expert or professional no charge of dilettantism could ever be leveled at English physicist Henry Cavendish, whose immense wealth allowed him to devote his life to scientific pursuits

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilettantism
Noun
  • There was also a path through college hockey, which was typically forged by a stop in the United States Hockey League (USHL), which met NCAA amateurism rules.
    ABC News, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Last summer’s House settlement, which permits schools to directly pay their athletes roughly $20 million this year across all sports, drove a final stake through the college amateurism model.
    Justin Williams, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Their design was unpolished, even primitive, seemingly to convey a sense of slapdash amateurishness.
    Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Unsurprisingly, Tigers athletic director Verge Ausberry had his new head coach's back while trashing former coach Brian Kelly and his inability to relate to boosters or fans during his time in Baton Rouge.
    Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
  • Andrews’s essay comes to the defense of former Harvard President Larry Summers, who resigned under pressure in 2006 after arguing that women might be underrepresented in the hard sciences because of their innate lack of interest in those fields and their inability to perform at the highest levels.
    Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • The Golden Knights need not apologize for the bad luck and incompetence of others.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
  • Workers resisted him with false reports of incompetence, machine sabotage, and especially social pressure—something that worked on new recruits but not on Taylor himself.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Dilettantism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilettantism. Accessed 23 May. 2026.

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