DABBLER Synonyms: 24 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'dabbler' differ from other similar words?

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. // a dabbler who started novels but never finished them

Q: In what contexts can 'amateur' take the place of 'dabbler'?

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. // a painting obviously done by an amateur // remained an amateur despite lucrative offers

Q: When might 'dilettante' be a better fit than 'dabbler'?

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. // had no patience for dilettantes

Q: When would 'tyro' be a good substitute for 'dabbler'?

The synonyms tyro and dabbler are sometimes interchangeable, but tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering. // shows talent but is still a mere tyro

dabbler

noun

ˈda-b(ə-)lər

Definition of dabbler next

as in tinkerer

a person who regularly or occasionally engages in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession he was a dabbler, learning the basics of many arts but mastering none

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How does the noun dabbler differ from other similar words?

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.

a dabbler who started novels but never finished them

In what contexts can amateur take the place of dabbler?

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.

a painting obviously done by an amateur

remained an amateur despite lucrative offers

When might dilettante be a better fit than dabbler?

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.

had no patience for dilettantes

When would tyro be a good substitute for dabbler?

The synonyms tyro and dabbler are sometimes interchangeable, but tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering.

shows talent but is still a mere tyro

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dabbler Due to their tall and lanky nature and feet that extend well beyond the body, whistling ducks don’t look very much like their fellow dabblers. —

M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 10 Jan. 2024 Another distinction between the dabblers and divers, albeit to this writer an unfair assumption, is that puddle ducks make for much better table fare than do divers simply due to diets. —

M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 30 Nov. 2023 To facilitate these foraging expeditions, a diving duck’s legs are positioned farther to the rear of their body than would be a dabbler’s, whose mid-body legs make walking on dry, soggy ground much easier and less clumsy. —

M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 30 Nov. 2023 Those who crossed the bridge would go on to master geometry; those who didn’t would remain dabblers. —

James Somers, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for dabbler