unprofessional

American  

[uhn-pruh-fesh-uh-nl] / ˌʌn prəˈfɛʃ ə nl /

adjective

1. not professional; not pertaining to or characteristic of a profession.

2. at variance with or contrary to professional standards or ethics; not befitting members of a profession, as language, behavior, or conduct.

3. not belonging to a profession; nonprofessional.

4. not done with professional competence, as a play staged or an opera performed by amateurs; amateurish.

5. Sports. nonprofessional.

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noun

1. a person who is not a professional; amateur.

unprofessional British  

/ ˌʌnprəˈfɛʃənəl /

adjective

1. contrary to the accepted code of conduct of a profession

2. amateur

3. not belonging to or having the required qualifications for a profession

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Other Word Forms

• unprofessionalism noun
• unprofessionally adverb

Etymology

Origin of unprofessional

First recorded in 1800–10; un- ¹ + professional

Example Sentences

Jaye, a TikTokker who recently started working for Girl Guiding, says she sometimes tries to suppress or "mask" her tics for fear of coming across as unprofessional.

From BBC

Still, nothing was as odd as Bondi’s performance, which was unprofessional and combative.

From Salon

The US has warned Iran against any "unsafe and unprofessional behaviour" near its forces in the area.

From BBC

Dempsey, 27, told the parent in an email that their child was "not the only one to have issues" with a colleague, which the panel said was "inappropriate and unprofessional".

From BBC

The author of the report, Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, declined to endorse the final version because of changes that altered his findings and made the report “highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ignorant
• improper
• incompetent
• inefficient
• lax
• negligent
• unethical