1. a person who has only superficial knowledge of a subject
Usage: often implies pretension or showing off limited knowledge

Examples

• He was just a smatterer in philosophy, quoting famous lines without understanding their context.
• The professor dismissed him as a smatterer who had read only introductory texts.
• She didn’t want to appear as a smatterer, so she studied the topic thoroughly before the debate.
• The art critic was revealed to be a mere smatterer when questioned about technique.
• Don’t be a smatterer—if you’re going to discuss science, learn it properly.
• His reputation as a smatterer preceded him at academic conferences.