dilettante 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of dilettantenext
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

dilettante

2 of 2

noun

ˈdi-lə-ˌtänt How to pronounce dilettante (audio)
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun dilettante differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dilettante are amateur, dabbler, and tyro. While all these words mean "a person who follows a pursuit without attaining proficiency or professional status," dilettante may apply to the lover of an art rather than its skilled practitioner but usually implies elegant trifling in the arts and an absence of serious commitment.

had no patience for dilettantes

When would amateur be a good substitute for dilettante?

Although the words amateur and dilettante have much in common, amateur often applies to one practicing an art without mastery of its essentials; in sports it may also suggest not so much lack of skill but avoidance of direct remuneration.

a painting obviously done by an amateur
remained an amateur despite lucrative offers

When is it sensible to use dabbler instead of dilettante?

The words dabbler and dilettante are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dabbler suggests desultory habits of work and lack of persistence.

a dabbler who started novels but never finished them

Where would tyro be a reasonable alternative to dilettante?

The meanings of tyro and dilettante largely overlap; however, tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering.

shows talent but is still a mere tyro

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dilettante
Noun
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 Efforts to put in additional safeguards proved unsuccessful, however, and Circle would sell the exchange to a consortium of Asian investors, including crypto dilettante Justin Sun, amid a cloud of regulatory uncertainty just a year later for a loss of $156 million. —Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 6 Sep. 2023 See All Example Sentences for dilettante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilettante
  1. amateur
  2. scholar
  3. connoisseur
  4. devotee
Noun
  • He’s designated as an international amateur and that means millions in savings for the cash-rich Dodgers.
    — Jay Paris, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Orville Peck will debut as the Emcee in the current Broadway production of Cabaret on March 31, answering the question amateur dramaturges everywhere want to know: Does the mask stay on?
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of amateur
Noun
  • Newsweek has reached out to several legal scholars for comment via email on Sunday.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Her fate remains one of literature’s most haunting unsolved mysteries, drawing the fascination of scholars, writers and literary enthusiasts.
    — Patti Callahan Henry, People.com, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of scholar
Noun
  • Scottie Scheffler, a fellow arabica bean connoisseur, abstains from java during tournament rounds.
    — Mike Dojc, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Sitting high, cut wide, with deftly hewn lines these strides are signature stuff from Creative Director/founder Nick Wakeman, a modernist fabric connoisseur and cutting genius.
    — Tom Stubbs, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of connoisseur
Noun
  • Its devotees include Gwyneth Paltrow, Emily Ratajkowski (who seems to be especially fond of Silk Laundry’s Long Bias Cut Skirt, having sported it many, many times), and even Jake Gyllenhaal (who put the Twill Boyfriend Shirt on display during an SNL monologue).
    — Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The Matrix is the stone-cold classic, and Dark City has its devotees (Roger Ebert notable among them), but for me, Francis Lawrence’s directorial debut about a psychic consultant has always been the best distillation of this aesthetic.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
Definition of devotee

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Cite this Entry

“Dilettante.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilettante. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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