Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Dilettante
‖
Dilˊet-tan′te
,Noun.
pl.
Dilettanti
(#)
. [It., prop. p. pr. of ]
dillettare
to take delight in, fr. L. delectare
to delight. See Delight
, Verb.
T.
An admirer or lover of the fine arts; popularly, an amateur; especially, one who follows an art or a branch of knowledge, desultorily, or for amusement only.
The true poet is not an eccentric creature, not a mere artist living only for art, not a dreamer or a
dilettante
, sipping the nectar of existence, while he keeps aloof from its deeper interests. J. C. Shairp.
Webster 1828 Edition
Dilettante
DILETTANTE
,Noun.
Definition 2024
dilettante
dilettante
English
Noun
dilettante (plural dilettanti or dilettantes)
- An amateur, someone who dabbles in a field out of casual interest rather than as a profession or serious interest.
- (sometimes offensive) A person with a general but superficial interest in any art or a branch of knowledge.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
amateur
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person who enjoys the arts, regardless of expertise
person with a general but superficial interest
See also
Adjective
dilettante (comparative more dilettante, superlative most dilettante)
- Pertaining to or like a dilettante.
Translations
pertaining to or like a dilettante
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References
- A Dictionary of Modern English Usage by H. W. Fowler (1926; Oxford at the Clarendon Press; London: Humphrey Milford), page 115
dilettante. Pl. -ti (pron. -tē). - “‖dilettante” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]
(dɪlɪˈtæntɪ, It. diletˈtante Pl. dilettanti (-tiː), rarely -es.
Italian
Etymology
Adjective
dilettante m, f (masculine and feminine plural dilettanti)
Noun
dilettante m, f (plural dilettanti)