unprofessional

[ uhn-pruh-fesh-uh-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 ( def 2 ).

noun

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

unprofessional

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˌunproˈfessionally, adverb

Other Words From

• unpro·fession·al·ism noun
• unpro·fession·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unprofessional¹

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

Example Sentences

“Throughout the entire lecture, Subject Lillienfeld was rude, condescending, unprofessional, and made inappropriate comments to several students in the class,” investigators wrote in a summary of their interview with the Los Angeles officer.

From Los Angeles Times

“Throughout the entire lecture, Subject Lillienfeld was rude, condescending, unprofessional, and made inappropriate comments to several students in the class,” investigators wrote in their summary of the officer’s interview.

From Los Angeles Times

“We were recently made aware of an incident at one of our high schools, in which a staff member’s discussion about the election results turned unprofessional,” the spokesperson told the news station.

From Los Angeles Times

She decided to keep her prior obligation, which she writes resulted in an angry phone call with Murphy in which he “ripped” into her and told her she was unprofessional.

From Los Angeles Times

She says she faced "unprofessional behaviours, in terms of bullying and toxic environments".

From BBC

Related Words

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