Dictionary
dabbler
noun dab·bler \-b(ə-)lər\
Definition of DABBLER
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First Known Use of DABBLER
1611
Related to DABBLER
- Synonyms
- amateur, dilettante, hobbyist, layman, nonexpert, nonprofessional, potterer, putterer, tinkerer
- Antonyms
- authority, expert, pro, professional, specialist
Synonym Discussion of DABBLER
amateur, dilettante, dabbler, tyro mean a person who follows a pursuit without attaining proficiency or professional status. amateur often applies to one practicing an art without mastery of its essentials <a painting obviously done by an amateur>; in sports it may also suggest not so much lack of skill but avoidance of direct remuneration <remained an amateur despite lucrative offers>. 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>. dabbler suggests desultory habits of work and lack of persistence <a dabbler who started novels but never finished them>. tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering <shows talent but is still a mere tyro>.
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