dilettantish
- adjective
- /ˌdɪl.ɪˈtæn.tɪʃ/
:
dilettante
- She attended the lecture on classical music, but her questions revealed a dilettantish understanding of the topic.
Examples
-
Many people admire his dilettantish talent for playing the guitar, but he has only practiced for a few months.
-
The younger missionary, Charles Elliott, made some dilettantish efforts toward acquiring the language, but did not progress very far.
Academic text (1992) -
There was nothing facile or dilettantish in Reinhardt's political position and commitments, which were well grounded in his working-class socialist background.
Academic text (2014) -
Apart from large older paintings—many of which are new works treated to look old and are relatively expensive at about US$500—small, dilettantish, carelessly executed paintings, above all with scenes of the legend of the Queen of Sheba, are on offer for about US$12.
Academic text (2009) -
His dilettantish approach to painting was evident in the lack of detail and technique in his work.
Synonyms
13
6.5
Not done well or with skill, like work by a beginner
1
9.9
Having only a small, not serious interest in a subject and little real knowledge
Shows a shallow, not serious interest in art like painting or music
A person who knows only a little about a subject but acts like they know a lot
How Knowledgeable
Surface Forms
Morphology
dilettantish = dilettante (transparent) = dilettante + ish
Formed by adding the productive adjectival suffix '-ish' to 'dilettante', so the meaning 'like or characteristic of a dilettante' is directly derived.
Etymology
Dilettantish comes from the Italian dilettante, a person who did things for 'pleasure' and not as a job, and it is related to the English word delight. That's why dilettantish describes a shallow, hobby-level or amateurish way of doing something rather than a professional skill.