amateur
Americannoun
-
a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons.
-
an athlete who has never competed for payment or for a monetary prize.
- Synonyms:
- nonprofessional
-
a person inexperienced or unskilled in a particular activity.
Hunting lions is not for amateurs.
- Synonyms:
- novice, tyro, dilettante
-
a person who admires something; devotee; fan.
an amateur of the cinema.
adjective
-
characteristic of or engaged in by an amateur; nonprofessional.
an amateur painter; amateur tennis.
noun
-
a person who engages in an activity, esp a sport, as a pastime rather than professionally or for gain
-
an athlete or sportsman
-
a person unskilled in or having only a superficial knowledge of a subject or activity
-
a person who is fond of or admires something
-
(modifier) consisting of or for amateurs
an amateur event
adjective
-
amateurish; not professional or expert
an amateur approach
Other Word Forms
- amateurism noun
- proamateur adjective
Etymology
Origin of amateur
1775–85; < French, Middle French < Latin amātor lover, equivalent to amā- (stem of amāre to love) + -tor -tor, replaced by French -teur (< Latin -tōr-, oblique stem of -tor ); -eur
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.
Before that athletics had been largely amateur until the 1980s, when athletes were left to generate their own income if they wanted to turn professional.
From BBC
Dean Robertson retains the captaincy of the GB&I men's amateurs when they seek to win back the Walker Cup at Lahinch in September.
From BBC
Pete: First 45 minutes looked great, post half-time we looked like amateurs.
From BBC
The McCullagh family is synonymous with boxing in Belfast and his father and grandfather were both champion amateur boxers.
From BBC
After about 25 amateur fights, losing only six, Cook turned professional.
From BBC
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.