unprofessional
Americanadjective
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not professional; not pertaining to or characteristic of a profession.
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at variance with or contrary to professional standards or ethics; not befitting members of a profession, as language, behavior, or conduct.
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not belonging to a profession; nonprofessional.
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not done with professional competence, as a play staged or an opera performed by amateurs; amateurish.
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Sports. nonprofessional.
noun
adjective
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contrary to the accepted code of conduct of a profession
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amateur
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not belonging to or having the required qualifications for a profession
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unprofessional
First recorded in 1800–10; un- 1 + professional
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“To put it bluntly,” Jackson continued, “the court could be ushering in an era of unprofessional and unsafe medical care administered by effectively unsupervised healthcare providers.”
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026
Lakers star Luka Doncic was fined $50,000 on Tuesday for directing an “inappropriate and unprofessional gesture toward a game official” during the Lakers’ win over the New York Knicks on Sunday, the NBA announced.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
“Allow your boss to be the unprofessional one,” she says.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026
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 • Feb. 27, 2026
Olanna was used to unprofessional and inept operators, but this was the rudest she had experienced.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
