unprofessional
Americanadjective
-
not professional; not pertaining to or characteristic of a profession.
-
at variance with or contrary to professional standards or ethics; not befitting members of a profession, as language, behavior, or conduct.
-
not belonging to a profession; nonprofessional.
-
not done with professional competence, as a play staged or an opera performed by amateurs; amateurish.
-
Sports. nonprofessional.
noun
adjective
-
contrary to the accepted code of conduct of a profession
-
amateur
-
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.
Still, older generations in any industry might judge a job candidate who shows up to an interview via their phone as unprofessional.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
“In my unprofessional opinion, a large company which is organized as a hierarchy needs to have one person at the top. Confusion and infighting too often are the results of co-bosses.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Others backed the producers, arguing that large-scale productions involve major financial commitments that can be disrupted by last-minute exits, and that Singh was "paying the price for being unprofessional".
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
“People are expecting a really small, dinky, unprofessional show, and they get comedy gold,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Mainly because as each of us gets better and wiser in our particular areas of expertise, we have to toss everything and start over, deeming the old material to be childish and unprofessional.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
