as in entertaining
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in delighting
to take part in an activity in a superficial way
She dabbled in drawing and painting but sculpture was her favorite medium.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 dabbling
Victor Mather, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
In the movie from director Tim Burton, Johnny Depp starred as Ichabod, now a constable dabbling in early forensic science tasked by the New York police with investigating a series of murders in an upstate Dutch town.
—Stacy Lambe, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
Kit is also dabbling in makeup after watching her famous mom spend so many days and nights in a glam chair, getting ready for red carpets and events.
—Hedy Phillips, People.com, 10 Oct. 2024
When dabbling with fuller cuts, a fabric that’s too stiff risks veering into less desirable territory; with a softer fabric, the suit will drape and keep from looking simply oversized.
—Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dabbling
Verb
After dabbling in boxing, Carty turned his focus to baseball and soon attracted the attention of major league scouts as a catcher.
—Victor Mather, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
In the movie from director Tim Burton, Johnny Depp starred as Ichabod, now a constable dabbling in early forensic science tasked by the New York police with investigating a series of murders in an upstate Dutch town.
—Stacy Lambe, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
Kit is also dabbling in makeup after watching her famous mom spend so many days and nights in a glam chair, getting ready for red carpets and events.
—Hedy Phillips, People.com, 10 Oct. 2024
When dabbling with fuller cuts, a fabric that’s too stiff risks veering into less desirable territory; with a softer fabric, the suit will drape and keep from looking simply oversized.
—Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dabbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dabbling
Adjective
-
An otherwise entertaining year became quite messy in the final stages and ended on a sour note.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Comments Murder is the final course during a state dinner with foreign dignitaries on The Residence, a deliciously entertaining new murder mystery from Shondaland.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Pearl Breed: Pit terrier mix Age: 2 years old Pearl is a cuddly, goofy, playful pup looking for her forever home.—
Trish Stinger,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Luke may seem like the goofy, carefree kid, but don’t be fooled — he’s got a lot of that intense mystery, which is very Scorpio.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Further factions emerge from there, as people start playing the game within the Squid Game, forming pockets of friendships and alliances, real and fake.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 Dec. 2024
-
The World Junior tournament is always good for some surprises; a couple of unexpected players emerging as top scorers or playing well in big moments, or a traditional top nation getting upset in the medal round.—
Corey Pronman,
The Athletic,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
This wooden and metal Happy Easter porch sign, on sale for $28.99 at Michael's, is carrot-shaped for a fun addition to your Easter decoration.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Grey’s Memorable Moments View List Also, Blue is pretty fun, so wasn’t Winston’s instruction not to talk at the baseball game kinda… mean?—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This seemingly frivolous experimentation, however, exists alongside something far more complex.—
Shrikant Nagori,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee requested an investigation Thursday into how Trump national security officials used the Signal app to discuss military strikes, ensuring at least some bipartisan scrutiny of an episode President Trump has dismissed as frivolous.—
Stephen Groves and Aamer Madhani,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Six books offer readers armchair travel, amusing characters, and a dash of history.—
Yvonne Zipp,
Christian Science Monitor,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Thankfully, in the case of Mark, the reality proved to be something much more amusing.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
This strategy worked for him for about 10 years—and then began to bore him silly.—
Art Spiegelman,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Props to the people who green-lit Angry Birds to give kids a silly movie about infanticide.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
With that much water needed for even the most trifling tasks, the natural question becomes: How does that water reach those data centers, let alone the world’s farms and factories?—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 May 2010
-
And yet the movie’s insularity feels trifling and empty.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Dabbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dabbling. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share