nonprofessional

American  

[non-pruh-fesh-uh-nl] / ˌnɒn prəˈfɛʃ ə 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.

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noun

1. a person who is not a professional.

2. an amateur athlete.

nonprofessional British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonprofessionalism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of nonprofessional

First recorded in 1795–1805; non- + professional

Example Sentences

Many are new to stock-market trading, with a reported record number of trading accounts being opened by nonprofessional investors, including, reportedly, brokerage accounts for children and even babies and for senior citizens.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 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

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 • May 9, 2024

From the brown chair Miss Ellis was staring at her with a very nonprofessional glare.

From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson