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professional

[pruh-fesh-uh-nl]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR professional ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.

of, relating to, or connected with a profession: professional studies.

appropriate to a profession: professional objectivity.

engaged in one of the learned professions: A lawyer is a professional person.

following as a business an occupation ordinarily engaged in as a pastime: a professional golfer.

making a business or constant practice of something not properly to be regarded as a business: “A salesman,” he said, “is a professional optimist.”

undertaken or engaged in as a means of livelihood or for gain: professional baseball.

of or for a professional person or his or her place of business or work: a professional apartment; professional equipment.

done by a professional; expert: professional car repairs.

noun

a person who belongs to one of the professions, especially one of the learned professions.

a person who earns a living in a sport or other occupation frequently engaged in by amateurs: a golf professional.

an expert player, as of golf or tennis, serving as a teacher, consultant, performer, or contestant; pro.

a person who is expert at his or her work: You can tell by her comments that this editor is a real professional.

Origin of professional

First recorded in 1740–50; profession + -al¹

Related formspro·fes·sion·al·ly, adverbin·ter·pro·fes·sion·al, adjectivein·ter·pro·fes·sion·al·ly, adverbpseu·do·pro·fes·sion·al, adjective

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

Related Words for professional

experienced, skillful, licensed, efficient, qualified, competent, specialist, pro, expert, artist, ace, crackerjack, slick, adept, sharp, there, star, pundit, brain, wizard

Examples from the Web for professional

Contemporary Examples of professional

Texas offers not just place to its actual or potential new residents, but professional possibilities.
Will Texas Stay Texan?
David Fontana
December 29, 2014
In fact, I publicly vowed to abstain from The Ball in 2012, but professional responsibilities and curiosity got the better of me.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots
Emily Shire
December 26, 2014
Soon thereafter, Bentivolio was asked to play Santa in downtown Milford and became a professional.
Kerry Bentivolio: The Congressman Who Believes in Santa Claus
Ben Jacobs
December 24, 2014
“By no means are we Grade A professional consultants,” Goff said.
‘Ready for Romney’ Is Amateur Hour
Tim Mak
December 23, 2014
A professional ballroom dancer and instructor, her name reflects a parallel that runs in both BDSM and dance: symbiosis.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau
Ian Frisch
December 20, 2014

Historical Examples of professional

Robert, though not a professional fisherman, was not wholly inexperienced.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Excuse me, Mr. Vavasor, but how do you know I am not a professional singer?
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
I mean, how then do you know I am not a professional singer?
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
A professional would have been shocked by some of its appointments.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden
Now and then their professional discussions ended in something different.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart

British Dictionary definitions for professional

professional

adjective

of, relating to, suitable for, or engaged in as a profession

engaging in an activity for gain or as a means of livelihood

extremely competent in a job, etc
(of a piece of work or anything performed) produced with competence or skill

undertaken or performed for gain or by people who are paid

noun

a person who belongs to or engages in one of the professions

a person who engages for his livelihood in some activity also pursued by amateurs

a person who engages in an activity with great competence

an expert player of a game who gives instruction, esp to members of a club by whom he is hired

Derived Formsprofessionally, adverb

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 professional

adj.

early 15c., of religious orders; 1747 of careers (especially of the skilled or learned trades from c.1793); see profession. In sports, opposed to amateur, from 1846. Related: Professionally.

n.

"one who does it for a living," 1798, from professional (adj.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper