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dabbling

dabbling

2 4.2
Taking part in an activity without serious effort or commitment
  • noun
  • /ˈdæblɪŋ/
translation icon : afición
  • Blues, like jazz, offered an alternative world that came with a history to explore, opportunities for both connoisseurship and instrumental dabbling, and a social climate dominated by adults uninterested in adolescent melodrama—which encouraged me to take a welcome break from such melodrama myself.

Examples

  • So I found myself dabbling in witchcraft.

  • If Wilbur Zelinsky gained both pleasure and intellectual inspiration from reading nonprofessional literature, then surely my own dabbling was not simply a diversion from professional life.

    Academic text (2006)
  • I mean, I I was dabbling in a little bit of everything that night, a nice little variety.

  • You know, we, we talked about cultivating your passion via dabbling and interest.

  • I've been, you know, dabbling, doodling a little bit.

  • I enjoy music, movies, beach combing, pencil sketching, crocheting, and dabbling.

    Blog text (8)
  • In short, getting data on a time-sensitive astronomical event is difficult to arrange and requires dabbling in politics and interpersonal relationships as well as simply science.

    Blog text (11)
  • These particular families may have been cursed by a 1930s-era deal with the devil and some subsequent ill-advised dabbling in witchcraft, but they otherwise tend to be as boring and suburban as the rest of us.

    Blog text (2)
  • In his free time, he enjoys dabbling in various hobbies like painting and gardening.

  • Her dabbling in different sports allowed her to discover her passion for tennis.

Synonyms

dalliance
vsdabbling
  • Literature
1 9.2

A short time spent playing instead of working

is casual involvement in an activity not primarily a delay or diversion
dilettantism
vsdabbling
1 9.9

A shallow interest in a subject without serious study or lasting effort

is casual participation without serious commitment rather than deep study

Antonyms

117 3.9

Giving time and effort to a job, purpose, or person

Compounds

A duck that feeds by tipping its head into shallow water while its tail stays up

How Committed

commitment
829 3.3
practice
585 1.6
dabbling
2 4.2

Surface Forms

dabbling singular
dabblings plural

Morphology

dabbling = dabble (transparent) = dabble + ing

The word is transparently formed from the verb 'dabble' with the addition of the gerund suffix '-ing'.

Etymology

Dabbling comes from the simple word dab, which means 'to touch or dip lightly', like putting a small dab of paint on a brush or briefly dipping your finger in water. So, to be dabbling in something is to try it in a light, casual way without serious commitment.