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dilettante

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 07:43. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dɪlɪˈtænti/, /dɪləˈtɒnti/ (UK); /ˈdɪlɪˌtɑnt/, /ˈdɪlɪˌtænt/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian dilettante (“lover of music or painting”),[2][3] the present participle of Italian dilettare (“to delight”),[4][5][2] from Latin dēlectō (“to delight, charm”).[4][5][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A lover of the fine arts, who pursues them for love rather than as a profession (1733).[6][2][3]

Semantic evolution

At first the word had no negative tone and meant a devoted amateur.[3][6] By contrast with the professional, it took on the pejorative sense “superficial, affected dabbler” in the late 18th century,[3] and this is now the main meaning.[4][5][7]

Timeline

  • 1733 – a lover of the fine arts.[6][2][3]
  • 1748 – first date given by Merriam-Webster.[5]
  • 1753 – adjective, characteristic of a dilettante.[6]
  • late 18th century – a superficial dabbler.[3]
  • 1835 – dilettantism.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who takes up an art or subject superficially, for amusement; a dabbler.
  2. A lover of the fine arts; a connoisseur.

Adjective

  1. Superficial; amateurish.

Word family

  • dilettantish
  • dilettantism

Usage notes

The word comes from Italian, not French, so its -ante ending is not feminine and it applies to anyone.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House