avocation
Americannoun
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something a person does in addition to a principal occupation, especially for pleasure; hobby.
Our doctor's avocation is painting.
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a person's regular occupation, calling, or vocation.
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Archaic. diversion or distraction.
noun
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formal a minor occupation undertaken as a diversion
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not_standard a person's regular job or vocation
Other Word Forms
- avocational adjective
- avocationally adverb
Etymology
Origin of avocation
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin āvocātiōn- (stem of āvocātiō ) “a calling away”; a- 4, vocation
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many decades later, creating meals from scratch – not because I have to, but because I want to – is a cherished avocation.
From Salon • Jan. 30, 2026
His dialogue snaps, and he can riff on just about anything, including Joe’s avocation as a jazz pianist, with authority.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2024
Konstance’s avocation becomes clear when she learns the true purpose of the spacecraft’s mission in its weird virtual library.
From New York Times • Sep. 24, 2021
Conversely, Steel said, “President-elect Biden is a legislator by avocation, by training, by instinct, by experience in a way that former President Obama was not.”
From Seattle Times • Jan. 1, 2021
When he was advised that he had no avocation, he left the island, came to America to study the then budding field of psychiatry.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
