as in amateur
a person who regularly or occasionally engages in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession
he's been tinkering with cars since he was a kid, and now he's a tinkerer who knows nearly as much as a mechanic
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Recent Examples of tinkerer
This Space Cowboys vibe makes sense because this tech boom looks less like the last one — social apps powered by subway ads and nap pods — than the 1980s PC revolution, powered by tinkerers with motherboards and soldering irons.
—
Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The deal gives Qualcomm direct access to the tinkerers, hobbyists and companies at the lowest levels of the robotics industry.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
The tinkerer was a socialite and widow named Josephine Cochrane.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
His uncle Leo, a naval engineer, noticed that his nephew was a budding tinkerer and gave him a Kodak photo-chemistry set for his sixth birthday.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2025
At $3,499, it is clearly not priced for small-scale tinkerers.
—Dave Altavilla, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The deal gives Qualcomm direct access to the tinkerers, hobbyists and companies at the lowest levels of the robotics industry.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
The tinkerer was a socialite and widow named Josephine Cochrane.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
His uncle Leo, a naval engineer, noticed that his nephew was a budding tinkerer and gave him a Kodak photo-chemistry set for his sixth birthday.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2025
At $3,499, it is clearly not priced for small-scale tinkerers.
—Dave Altavilla, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinkerer
Noun
-
The Padres’ first move of the offseason will flesh out the club’s current crop of international amateurs.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Oct. 2025
-
James is one of them, though his kindly attempts to be there for Linda, as amateur repairman and reluctant babysitter, have a way of backfiring, usually on himself.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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With 80% of its team composed of engineers and 20% of revenue reinvested into R&D, the company’s relentless innovation has helped thousands of creators – from hobbyists to educators to small business owner – turn complex ideas into tangible results.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Oct. 2025
-
For many hobbyists, the excitement — and gamble — of ripping packs is the best thing about the collecting experience.—
Mark Billingsley,
Sacbee.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For laymen, these molecules are involved in chemical reactions that lead to more complex molecules essential to organic life.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
-
In layman’s terms, that means partner universities will be adjusting course to target skills that employers have identified aren’t being taught in a classroom setting.—
Austin Hornbostel,
Nashville Tennessean,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Not dabblers in the slave trade, tycoons of the slave trade.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
-
David Byrne came from Baltimore by way of Scotland, a socially awkward dabbler in conceptualist experiments with photography and a veteran of various mediocre cover bands.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tinkerer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinkerer. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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