amateur

American  

[am-uh-choor, -cher, -ter, am-uh-tur] / ˈæm əˌtʃʊər, -tʃər, -tər, ˌæm əˈtɜr /

noun

amateurs plural

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

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

   Synonyms:

   nonprofessional

3. a person inexperienced or unskilled in a particular activity.

   Hunting lions is not for amateurs.

   Synonyms:

   novice, tyro, dilettante

4. a person who admires something; devotee; fan.

   an amateur of the cinema.

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adjective

1. characteristic of or engaged in by an amateur; nonprofessional.

   an amateur painter; amateur tennis.

amateur British  

/ -tʃə, ˌæməˈtɜː, ˈæmətə, -ˌtjʊə /

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

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

4. a person who is fond of or admires something

5. (modifier) consisting of or for amateurs

   an amateur event

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adjective

1. amateurish; not professional or expert

   an amateur approach

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• amateurism
  noun
• proamateur
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• amateurs
  plural

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 ); see -eur

Explanation

An amateur is a person who does something for enjoyment, not money, like an amateur who paints as a hobby but earns a living another way. The adjective amateur often describes a pastime, like an amateur sports league that people join to get exercise and socialize together. Or it can have a negative meaning and describe something that's poorly done. If your guests leave your dinner table and stop for fast food on the way home, you may be ashamed of your amateur cooking skills. Amateur originated as a French word, meaning "lover of," not "expert."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

amateur amateurs

He became an English amateur champion and represented England six times, but was unable to pursue Olympic qualification or accept professional contracts because he did not have permission to work or travel.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

So when things go badly inside the opaque world of many private schools, it can be left to parents, police, journalists and amateur sleuths to find and expose wrongdoing.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

In response, Jefferson started a newspaper contest to elicit plans for what became the Capitol, designed by Dr. William Thornton, the amateur architect who won the contest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

"If you're the smartest person in the room, you need to leave and find another room where you'll feel like an amateur," she added.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

The children had erected an amateur tent over their heads, out of the plaids, and under this they were lying close together, telling a story.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

But as we round the first corner, almost all of the exhibits are the work of amateurs, conscripted from civilian life and professionalized into name, rank and number.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The actors, seasoned veterans as well as young amateurs, go through their lines and movements one last time before the curtain rises at the Wole Soyinka Theatre at the University of Ibadan, in southwest Nigeria.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Surely, the inventors of the game had won 10-0—not lost to a bunch of relative amateurs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Unusually, Rai wears two gloves instead of the one which virtually everyone else across the world - professional and amateurs alike - wears for enhanced grip.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

As with the search for extraterrestrial life today, the unbridled speculation of amateurs had frightened many professionals out of the field.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan