pastime/amusement/entertainment

Question

To a lot of teenagers, seeing a movie is a good pastime.I wonder if I could say "a good amusement/entertainment" in lieu of "a good pastime" without making any changes in meaning. Thanks.

Doll · Accepted Answer

To me, you can use amusement and entartainment but there will be a change in the meanig.

Angliholic · Answer

DollTo me, you can use amusement and entartainment but there will be a change in the meanig.

Thanks, Doll.

But what are the differences they make?

Angliholic · Answer

DollTo me, you can use amusement and entartainment but there will be a change in the meanig.

Thanks, Doll.

But what are the differences they make?

Paul92 · Answer

I agree with Doll.

Here's why: According to www.dictionary.com, 'pastime' means

something that serves to make time pass agreeably; a pleasant means of amusement, recreation, or sport: to play cards as a pastime.

According to the same source, 'amusement' means

1.	anything that amuses; pastime; entertainment.

2.	the act of amusing.

3.	the state of being amused; enjoyment.

According to the same source (again), 'entertainment' means

1.	the act of entertaining; agreeable occupation for the mind; diversion; amusement: Solving the daily crossword puzzle is an entertainment for many.

2.	something affording pleasure, diversion, or amusement, esp. a performance of some kind: The highlight of the ball was an elaborate entertainment.

3.	hospitable provision for the needs and wants of guests.

4.	a divertingly adventurous, comic, or picaresque novel.

5.	Obsolete. maintenance in service.

Therefore, the scope of the meaning of the sentence if you used 'pastime' would widen if you used 'amusement', and would further widen if you used 'entertainment'.

Goodman · Answer

Angliholic
DollTo me, you can use amusement and entartainment but there will be a change in the meanig.
Thanks, Doll.

But what are the differences they make?

Pastime is something we do to “pass time” which means something to do to kill a few hours as we would do routinely with shopping, while some of us would be jogging, fishing, playing basketball or bowling.

Amusement- as in amusement park and “keep someone amused” is something we do to get stimulated.

Reading a book may be pastime but probably not considered as amusement. On the other hand, getting on the “Superman” ride is an extreme form of amusement for a lot of dare devils.

Entertainment is something that we do to have fun, to feel good about ourselves, and perhaps to get of our routine for the moment. i.e. going to a movie, or singing karaoke is a form of entertainment among many choices.

Entertainment is a more commonly used word for thing we do to have fun.

Amuse is a word I personally hear very little of these days, except in “amusement park”, or “ I don’t find it amusing…”

Angliholic · Answer

Thanks, Paul and Goodman.

pastime/amusement/entertainment

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