as in amateur
a person who regularly or occasionally engages in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession
as a nonexpert, I enjoy her readable articles on physics and astronomy
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Recent Examples of nonexpert
Some of these entries are quite obscure for nonexperts, such as one that relies on an understanding of a five-cell von Neumann neighborhood.
—
Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 10 Jan. 2026
For many everyday scenarios — especially low-resolution video calls and media shared on social media platforms — their realism is now high enough to reliably fool nonexpert viewers.
—Siwei Lyu, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025
But nonexperts will struggle to determine what is essential and what is excessive in its highly specialized and technical realm.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025
Even people skilled at communicating scientific principles to nonexperts have been lured into the debate trap.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2023
How can nonexperts figure out what to eat when the experts can’t agree?
—Tamar Haspel, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
Now, ChatGPT and similar language processing tools promise to upend medical care again, providing patients with more data than a simple online search and explaining conditions and treatments in language nonexperts can understand.
—Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2023
The often vague language used to describe the science behind these fragrances can also cause confusion for a nonexpert.
—Emily Jensen, Allure, 27 Jan. 2022
As a nonexpert who mainly uses mats for lazily stretching between episodes of romantic Korean dramas, there’s something soothing about a cork surface.
—Vogue, 8 Jan. 2022
Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 10 Jan. 2026
For many everyday scenarios — especially low-resolution video calls and media shared on social media platforms — their realism is now high enough to reliably fool nonexpert viewers.
—Siwei Lyu, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025
But nonexperts will struggle to determine what is essential and what is excessive in its highly specialized and technical realm.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025
Even people skilled at communicating scientific principles to nonexperts have been lured into the debate trap.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2023
How can nonexperts figure out what to eat when the experts can’t agree?
—Tamar Haspel, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
Now, ChatGPT and similar language processing tools promise to upend medical care again, providing patients with more data than a simple online search and explaining conditions and treatments in language nonexperts can understand.
—Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2023
The often vague language used to describe the science behind these fragrances can also cause confusion for a nonexpert.
—Emily Jensen, Allure, 27 Jan. 2022
As a nonexpert who mainly uses mats for lazily stretching between episodes of romantic Korean dramas, there’s something soothing about a cork surface.
—Vogue, 8 Jan. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonexpert
Noun
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This humble dry cleaner, a de jure Chicago landmark, has been photographed by professionals and amateurs alike; has appeared in books, films and music videos; and has become a keystone in conversations about the significance of Chicago’s South Side to this city’s architectural heritage.—
Elizabeth Blasius,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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The last of the amateurs, as Prager tells me decades later, wanted to make the world a better place.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Cronenworth has always been quite the worker and quite the tinkerer in the cage.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
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
Noun
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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
Cite this Entry
“Nonexpert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonexpert. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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