amateur

[ am-uh-choor, -cher, -ter, am-uh-tur ]
See synonyms for: amateuramateurs on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons.: Compare professional.

  2. an athlete who has never competed for payment or for a monetary prize.

  1. a person inexperienced or unskilled in a particular activity: Hunting lions is not for amateurs.

  2. a person who admires something; devotee; fan: an amateur of the cinema.

adjective
  1. characteristic of or engaged in by an amateur; nonprofessional: an amateur painter; amateur tennis.

Origin of amateur

1
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); see -eur

Other words for amateur

Other words from amateur

  • pro·am·a·teur, adjective

Words that may be confused with amateur

Words Nearby amateur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use amateur in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for amateur

amateur

/ (ˈæmətə, -tʃə, -ˌtjʊə, ˌæməˈtɜː) /


noun
  1. a person who engages in an activity, esp a sport, as a pastime rather than professionally or for gain

  2. an athlete or sportsman

  1. a person unskilled in or having only a superficial knowledge of a subject or activity

  2. a person who is fond of or admires something

  3. (modifier) consisting of or for amateurs: an amateur event

adjective
  1. amateurish; not professional or expert: an amateur approach

Origin of amateur

1
C18: from French, from Latin amātor lover, from amāre to love

Derived forms of amateur

  • amateurism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012