nonprofessional

[non-pruh-fesh-uh-nl]

adjective

1. not a member of or trained in a specific profession.

2. Sports.,  not offering or engaged in for payment or a monetary prize; amateur.

   a nonprofessional league; a nonprofessional player.

noun

1. a person who is not a professional.

2. an amateur athlete.

nonprofessional

/ ˌnɒnprəˈfɛʃənəl /

adjective

1. not of, relating to, suitable for, or engaged in a profession

2. not undertaken or performed for gain or by people who are paid

Other Word Forms

• nonprofessionalism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonprofessional¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; non- + professional

Example Sentences

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

Burke believes that his own interest in these people, often played by nonprofessional actors in his work, can translate to audiences.

From Los Angeles Times

He and three other nonprofessional astronauts will embark on a mission called Polaris Dawn, which may launch next month.

From New York Times

As he did for his award-winning prison film, “Michael Inside,” Berry used nonprofessional actors with intimate experience of the system — here, Ireland’s International Protection Office, which processes asylum applications — he wanted to depict.

From New York Times

To give the film authenticity, Çatak recruited nonprofessional actors to play students in the film but knew that their teacher, Carla, needed to avoid the narrative tropes of the “worn out” educator.

From Los Angeles Times