definitions

nonprofessional

[ non-pruh-fesh-uh-nl ]
/ ˌnɒn prəˈfɛʃ ə nl /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nonprofessional ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

RELATED WORDS

amateur, lay, dilettantish, dabbler, dilettante, laic, laity, layman, tyro, laywoman

Nearby words

nonpractising, nonprescription, nonprint, nonpro, nonproductive, nonprofessional, nonproficiency, nonprofit, nonproliferation, nonproliferation treaty, nonproprietary name

Origin of nonprofessional

First recorded in 1795–1805; non- + professional

Related forms

non·pro·fes·sion·al·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nonprofessional

  • It is more vividly brought home to us from the nonprofessional, the disinterested and involuntary testimony of secular writing.

    Preaching and Paganism|Albert Parker Fitch

  • For the ulceration it is useless to prescribe, because it can neither be diagnosed nor topically treated by the nonprofessional.

    Special Report on Diseases of the Horse|United States Department of Agriculture

  • Another and oftentimes fatal mistake made by the nonprofessional is the indiscriminate and reckless use of aconite.

    Special Report on Diseases of the Horse|United States Department of Agriculture

  • There was nothing more he could do at the moment—the autosurgeon's decisions were safer than any nonprofessional's guesswork.

    The Winds of Time|James H. Schmitz

British Dictionary definitions for nonprofessional

nonprofessional

/ (ˌnɒnprəˈfɛʃənəl) /

adjective

not of, relating to, suitable for, or engaged in a profession
not undertaken or performed for gain or by people who are paid
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