amateur

[ am-uh-choor, -cher, -ter, am-uh-tur ]

/ ˈæm əˌtʃʊər, -tʃər, -tər, ˌæm əˈtɜr /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amateur ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

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

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.

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR amateur

2. nonprofessional. 3. dilettante, tyro, novice.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amateur ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formspro·am·a·teur, adjective

Can be confusedamateur armature

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for amateur

Thankfully, the Coleman kids reached a Burger King, and Wahlberg and his amateur biker gang rode off.
Mark Wahlberg’s Pardon Plea: A Look Back At His Troubling, Violent, and Racist Rap Sheet|Marlow Stern|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sharp did lots of school plays, which led to a role in amateur operetta, then professional pantomime.
The Brit Who Stormed Broadway|Tim Teeman|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today, though, professional and amateur historians can build counter-narratives that are hard to dismantle.
God vs. the Internet. And the Winner is…|Michael Schulson|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Chicago provides crime reporters and amateur scanner-chasers with more grit and brutality than they can handle combined.
Chicago’s Real-Life 'Nightcrawler'|Justin Glawe|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That frequency is within the range used by amateur radio operators, so anyone can listen in.
Luxembourg and China Team Up on Private Mission to the Moon|Matthew R. Francis|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bud would never leave the old horse to that amateur's tender mercies, but he didn't intend to make it easy for the amateur.
A Voice in the Wilderness|Grace Livingston Hill
He was sitting beside me in the amateur roof-garden which Mr. Richards had contrived atop the settlement.
The Seven-Branched Candlestick|Gilbert W. (Gilbert Wolf) Gabriel
Remember this, Amateur, you'll never be too old to go to school, leastways that's what I've found.
An Amateur Fireman|James Otis
Of these varieties, the following are distinct, and possess many charming qualities that cannot fail to gratify the amateur.
Parsons on the Rose|Samuel Browne Parsons
Amateur theatricals were much less common in those days than at present, and were held as the ne plus ultra of gaiety.
Chantry House|Charlotte M. Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for amateur

amateur

/ (ˈæmətə, -tʃə, -ˌtjʊə, ˌæməˈtɜː) /

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 amateursan amateur event

adjective

amateurish; not professional or expertan amateur approach

Derived Formsamateurism, noun

Word Origin for amateur

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

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

Word Origin and History for amateur

amateur

1784, "one who has a taste for (something)," from French amateur "lover of," from Latin amatorem (nominative amator) "lover," agent noun from amatus, past participle of amare "to love" (see Amy). Meaning "dabbler" (as opposed to professional) is from 1786. As an adjective, by 1838.