Definition

A person who has a superficial or limited knowledge of many subjects, often dabbling in various topics without deep understanding.

Example

He is a smatterer of many subjects, but he lacks expertise in any one area.

Conversation

I met someone today who is quite the smatterer in various subjects.

Really? That sounds interesting! What do they dabble in?

They know a bit about art, science, and even cooking.

Wow, that’s impressive! It’s always great to chat with someone like that.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Smatterer is formed from "smatter" (from the dialectal English "smatter", meaning to speak superficially or to dabble) and the suffix "-er" (meaning a person who). A smatterer is a person who speaks or knows a little about many subjects, often superficially.

Memory Tip

Think of someone who 'dabbles' in many topics but doesn't go deep — that's what a smatterer does.

Visually Confused Words