dilettante
[ dil-i-tahnt, dil-i-tahnt, -tahn-tey, -tan-tee ]
/ ˈdɪl ɪˌtɑnt, ˌdɪl ɪˈtɑnt, -ˈtɑn teɪ, -ˈtæn ti /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.
Origin of dilettante
OTHER WORDS FROM dilettante
dil·et·tan·tish, dil·et·tan·te·ish, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use dilettante in a sentence
Men who marry rich, by contrast, are often seen as dilettantish—effete even.
Mitt Romney: The GOP’s Own John Kerry, or Is He More an Al Gore?|Michelle Cottle|January 14, 2012|DAILY BEASTHis dilettantish manner was gone for good, as was also his foppish beard.
Molly Brown of Kentucky|Nell SpeedEvelyns suggestions were unpractical and dilettantish, and Pepyss ramblings not over wise.
Haunted London|Walter ThornburyHe was exceedingly well fixed in a money way—a sort of dilettantish architect, with offices in the Metropolitan Tower.
The Destroying Angel|Louis Joseph Vance
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, nounWord 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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.