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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.
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dilettante in a sentence

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.

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.
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