dilettante

[ dil-i-tahnt, dil-i-tahnt, -tahn-tey, -tan-tee ]

/ ˈdɪl ɪˌtɑnt, ˌdɪl ɪˈtɑnt, -ˈtɑn teɪ, -ˈtæn ti /

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See synonyms for: dilettante / dilettantish on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural dil·et·tantes, dil·et·tan·ti

[dil-i-tahn-tee]. /ˈdɪl ɪˈtɑn ti/.

a person who takes up an art, activity, or subject merely for amusement, especially in a desultory or superficial way; dabbler.

a lover of an art or science, especially of a fine art.

adjective

of or relating to dilettantes.

OTHER WORDS FOR dilettante

1 amateur.

See synonyms for dilettante on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

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Origin of dilettante

1725–35; <Italian, noun use of present participle of dilettare<Latin dēlectāre to delight

OTHER WORDS FROM dilettante

dil·et·tan·tish, dil·et·tan·te·ish, adjective

Words nearby dilettante

dilator, dilatory, Dilaudid, dildo, dilemma, dilettante, dilettantism, DILF, Dili, diligence, diligent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use dilettante in a sentence

The standard critique is that guiding companies are hauling rich, inexperienced dilettantes up the mountain who create traffic jams and make bad decisions, putting everyone at greater risk.
Why Do Climbers Really Die on Everest?|Alex Hutchinson|May 19, 2021|Outside Online
Delivering water helps “dispel the nagging guilt of a slumming dilettante, but only a little” Hardin writes, while wondering whether it’s possible to make a difference in a place “where the devastation extends back decades.”
In ‘Standpipe,’ David Hardin offers poignant, fleeting reflections on the Flint water crisis|Kerri Arsenault|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
Suggestions ranged from the dilettante purse designer played by Jennifer Coolidge in the original series to Leslie Jones, who seemed to have Samantha confused with Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Sex and the City Is Nothing Without Samantha Jones|Judy Berman|January 11, 2021|Time
Brands to knowAs with most electronics, certain brands become synonymous with certain types of products because in this space it’s better to be a master of one or two things than a dilettante in a lot of things.
Best WiFi extenders: Five things to consider|Eric Alt|November 25, 2020|Popular-Science

The fired host unloads on Current TV, accusing Al Gore of being a dilettante and co-owner Joel Hyatt of blackmail.
Keith Olbermann Files a No-Holds-Barred Lawsuit Over Firing by Current TV|Howard Kurtz|April 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But the director publicly clashed with Norton (calling him a “narcissistic dilettante”).
Hollywood’s Craziest Director Tony Kaye, Seeks Redemption, With ‘Detachment’|Chris Lee|March 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He fully admits his chronicle of Galliano's shows from 2004 to 2010 was “the work of a dilettante.”
Paris' Sad Galliano Expo|Tracy McNicoll|June 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
I finally feel like I can call myself a writer now, rather than writing being just something I do on the side, as a dilettante.
Molly Ringwald Grows Up|Rebecca Dana|May 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST
This deficiency in technique must even debar him from claiming any higher signification than that of a clever dilettante.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4)|Richard Muther
He had dropped in in a dilettante spirit to hear the spirited debate, and the judges were greatly honored.
Through the Wall|Cleveland Moffett
With increase of reading we have fallen into a fireside, dilettante culture of ideas as an intellectual pleasure.
More Pages from a Journal|Mark Rutherford
Do not suspect that I impose on you the task of writing letters to answer my dilettante questions.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. II (of 3)|George Eliot
I believe this to be the test to distinguish the mere dilettante from the artist of real genius.
The Aesthetical Essays|Friedrich Schiller

British Dictionary definitions for dilettante

dilettante

/ (ˌdɪlɪˈtɑːntɪ) /

noun plural -tantes or -tanti (-ˈtɑːntɪ)

a person whose interest in a subject is superficial rather than professional

a person who loves the arts

adjective

of or characteristic of a dilettante

Derived forms of dilettante

dilettantish or dilettanteish, adjectivedilettantism or dilettanteism, noun

Word Origin for dilettante

C18: from Italian, from dilettare to delight, from Latin dēlectāre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for dilettante

dilettante

[ (dil-uh-tahnt, dil-uh-tahnt) ]

Someone who is interested in the fine arts as a spectator, not as a serious practitioner. Dilettante is most often used to mean a dabbler, someone with a broad but shallow attachment to any field.

dilettante

OTHER WORDS FOR dilettante

Origin of dilettante

OTHER WORDS FROM dilettante

Words nearby dilettante

Words related to dilettante

How to use dilettante in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dilettante

Derived forms of dilettante

Word Origin for dilettante

Cultural definitions for dilettante