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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dilettante
Harriet Quick, theweek, 17 July 2024
Bruce Wayne: To the public at large, Bruce Wayne is a shallow dilettante, apparently wasting his parents’ vast fortune on frivolous pursuits and hedonistic pleasures.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 June 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for dilettante
Noun
Back in the 1930s, Cocteau was dubbed a dilettante.
—Harriet Quick, theweek, 17 July 2024
Bruce Wayne: To the public at large, Bruce Wayne is a shallow dilettante, apparently wasting his parents’ vast fortune on frivolous pursuits and hedonistic pleasures.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 June 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for dilettante
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilettante
Noun
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Of the five listed here, three (Harang, Castillo, Arroyo) came via trades, one was drafted (Bailey), and one was signed as an amateur (Cueto).—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
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With the win, Iwai became the third rookie to win this season, joining compatriot Rio Takeda, who won the Blue Bay LPGA in March, and former World No. 1 amateur Ingrid Lindblad, who won the JM Eagle LA Championship in April.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University—and this nation—immeasurably.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 May 2025
-
If these global scholars stay home or go elsewhere, that’s bad economic news for cities and towns across the United States, wrote Barnet Sherman, a professor of multinational finance and trade at Boston University.—
Corey Mitchell,
The Conversation,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Everybody—from beaded bag connoisseurs to wellness influencers—are talking about sardines.—
Lorena Meouchi,
Vogue,
27 May 2025
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In Paris, the animation becomes truly splendid under this connoisseur extraordinaire of a director.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
20 May 2025
Noun
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The French Open’s main draw begins Sunday, May 25, but for esports devotees, the action begins in earnest a day before, when the annual Roland Garros eSeries takes place at the same venue, in the Musée du Tennis’ auditorium.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
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In a move that’s sure to delight devotees of the bizarre and offbeat corners of cinema, Cultpix has inked a comprehensive deal to become the exclusive streaming home for Something Weird‘s vast library of exploitation and genre films.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dilettante.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilettante. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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