nonprofessional
Americanadjective
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not a member of or trained in a specific profession.
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Sports. not offering or engaged in for payment or a monetary prize; amateur.
a nonprofessional league; a nonprofessional player.
noun
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a person who is not a professional.
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an amateur athlete.
adjective
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not of, relating to, suitable for, or engaged in a profession
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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.
For most nonprofessional investors, the history of broad declines in the stock market has shown that it has been best to be patient, because attempts to time the market are likely to fail.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 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
Some companies already use AI to co-write financial reports, and the Education Department recently reclassified accounting degrees as nonprofessional.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025
They don’t get to be in the band, but as actors, they do a lot to support their nonprofessional castmates.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 1, 2025
The subject must have a history of heroism in a nonprofessional capacity.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
