nonprofessional
Americanadjective
-
not a member of or trained in a specific profession.
-
Sports. not offering or engaged in for payment or a monetary prize; amateur.
a nonprofessional league; a nonprofessional player.
noun
-
a person who is not a professional.
-
an amateur athlete.
adjective
-
not of, relating to, suitable for, or engaged in a profession
-
not undertaken or performed for gain or by people who are paid
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nonprofessional
First recorded in 1795–1805; non- + professional
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 are new to stock-market trading, with a reported record number of trading accounts being opened by nonprofessional investors, including, reportedly, brokerage accounts for children and even babies and for senior citizens.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
GameStop gained fame during the meme-stock craze of 2021, in which nonprofessional retail traders left idle by pandemic lockdowns bid up the stocks of beleaguered companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
That would whack stocks, as nonprofessional investors have reliably bought every dip because they have been conditioned to believe stocks always rise.
From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026
With Plemons and Stone already cast, Lanthimos had decided that he wanted a nonprofessional actor to play Don.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025
From the brown chair Miss Ellis was staring at her with a very nonprofessional glare.
From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson
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.
