as in amateurs
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 laymen
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
Both professionals and laymen have developed an interest in tracking litigation because of the broad range of industries and people affected by the administration’s changes, experts and media professionals said.
—Surina Venkat, The Hill, 1 Jan. 2026
But laymen may be wondering, why are the writers so upset?
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
For laymen, these molecules are involved in chemical reactions that lead to more complex molecules essential to organic life.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
There’s a citizen science element as well—laymen can sign up for a laboratory experience that involves helping the team count microplastics found in water samples, or preparing bait for an underwater camera that documents local wildlife.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Mar. 2022
Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Both professionals and laymen have developed an interest in tracking litigation because of the broad range of industries and people affected by the administration’s changes, experts and media professionals said.
—Surina Venkat, The Hill, 1 Jan. 2026
But laymen may be wondering, why are the writers so upset?
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
For laymen, these molecules are involved in chemical reactions that lead to more complex molecules essential to organic life.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
There’s a citizen science element as well—laymen can sign up for a laboratory experience that involves helping the team count microplastics found in water samples, or preparing bait for an underwater camera that documents local wildlife.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laymen
Noun
-
Vitello, standing in front of a group of professionals instead of amateurs, told his team about his background, his origins.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Olympics athletes, with rare exceptions like the basketball teams or hockey teams, or a Michael Phelps or Shaun White, are amateurs.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Laymen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laymen. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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