Dilettante, n.; pl. Dilettanti.
Etymology: [It., prop. p. pr. of dillettare to take delight in, fr. L. delectare to delight. See Delight, v. 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.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for dilettante; he lists it under amateur.
Where he writes about it:
Dilettante, which had originally the sense of amateur, has to some extent come to denote one who is superficial, pretentious, and affected, whether in theory or practise. — from amateur
Antonyms
none given