as in amateur
a person who regularly or occasionally engages in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession
the discussion about investing was geared more to the layman than to the professional investor
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Recent Examples of layman
The pipeline will provide up to 185,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas, an industry term that Fore admitted was difficult to explain for laymen.
—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
From my layman’s perspective, this seemed promising, plus the attorney seemed invested.
—
Jasper Craven,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
That's very hard to explain for the layman or the professional.
—
Pamela Avila,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
So these two feel like the perfect guides to help a layman understand the Musk phenomenon.
—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for layman
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
From my layman’s perspective, this seemed promising, plus the attorney seemed invested.
—
Jasper Craven,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
That's very hard to explain for the layman or the professional.
—
Pamela Avila,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
So these two feel like the perfect guides to help a layman understand the Musk phenomenon.
—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for layman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layman
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
-
Sholes, a printer and newspaper editor, was a bit of a tinkerer.
-
The 19th-century patent system rewarded tinkerers; corporate labs scaled systematic research; wartime partnerships mobilized national resources; and venture capital democratized risk-taking.
Cite this Entry
“Layman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layman. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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