dabbler
noun
called also dabbling duck, puddle duck, river duck
Synonyms
- amateur
- dilettante
- hobbyist
- layman
- nonexpert
- nonprofessional
- potterer
- putterer
- tinkerer
Example Sentences
Clint Coons, Forbes, 25 Aug. 2022 By contrast, many people involved in real estate investing have a dabbler’s mindset. Clint Coons, Forbes, 25 Aug. 2022 Her mother, a spiritual dabbler, believes that Khristen died and then came back to life. Anthony Domestico, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2021 The mandate at Hammer & Stitch is to craft exacting pub-style ales and lagers whose quality appeals to the demanding craft beer enthusiast but whose approachability also piques the palate of the dabbler. oregonlive, 18 Aug. 2021 There are licenses to be acquired if a seller is more than a casual dabbler or wants to buy from wholesalers, and research to be done into sourcing, demand and competition in various items, among other things. Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2021 Most dabblers become obsessed with finessing beautiful objects and seldom think about its context or consequences. Anne Quito, Quartz at Work, 19 May 2020 Having a few Iraq War dead-enders and dabblers in race science around keeps things fresh and interesting. Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 27 Jan. 2020 Like many New Age dabblers in the nineteen-seventies, he was drawn to the Fourth Way—a brand of mysticism established by George Gurdjieff in the early twentieth century. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2019 See More Word History
1611, in the meaning defined above
dabbler
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- tinkerer
- amateur
- hobbyist
- enthusiast
- dilettante
- layman
- nonprofessional
- nonexpert
- potterer
- fan
- generalist
- putterer
- devotee
- aficionado
- afficionado
- jack-of-all-trades
- all-rounder
- general practitioner
- buff
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- expert
- specialist
- authority
- professional
- pro
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of dabbler are amateur, dilettante, and tyro. While all these words mean "a person who follows a pursuit without attaining proficiency or professional status," dabbler suggests desultory habits of work and lack of persistence.
The words amateur and dabbler can be used in similar contexts, but 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.
The words dilettante and dabbler are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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.
The synonyms tyro and dabbler are sometimes interchangeable, but tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering.