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.
All this to say, I understand why the question of whether iced coffee is unprofessional has taken over my feeds for the last several days.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
The statement also emphasized that the district’s widely noted academic gains contradict “the idea that his performance was unsatisfactory or unprofessional or that he was in any way unfit for service.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
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
The MoD said Moscow's activity in the Norwegian Sea was "unsafe and unprofessional".
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
I didn’t know what to make of his gesture save its unorthodoxy, its colloquial and unprofessional tone.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
