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1. : one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession. She played soccer as an amateur before turning professional. a tournament that is open to both amateurs and professionals. 2. : one lacking in experience and competence in an art or science.
An amateur is a person who does something for enjoyment, not money, like an amateur who paints as a hobby but earns a living another way. The adjective amateur often describes a pastime, like an amateur sports league that people join to get exercise and socialize together.
Other articles from vocabulary.com
a person who engages in an activity, esp a sport, as a pastime rather than professionally or for gain. an athlete or sportsman. a person unskilled in or having only a superficial knowledge of a subject or activity. a person who is fond of or admires something. modifier consisting of or for amateurs. an amateur event.
relating to an activity, especially a sport, where the people taking part do not receive money: amateur athletics. Fewer examples. The firm produces kits for amateur car constructors. an amateur photographer. an amateur dramatic society. amateur theatricals. He's in charge of wardrobe at the local amateur theater.
Synonyms for AMATEUR: inexperienced, avocational, nonprofessional, Sunday, naïve, backyard, amateurish, unskilled; Antonyms of AMATEUR: professional, expert, skilled, adept, ace, competent, capable, virtuoso.
- How does the noun 'amateur' differ from other similar words?Some common synonyms of amateur are dabbler, dilettante, and tyro. While all these words mean "a person who follows a pursuit without attaining pro...
- In what contexts can 'dabbler' take the place of 'amateur'?While the synonyms dabbler and amateur are close in meaning, dabbler suggests desultory habits of work and lack of persistence. // a dabbler who st...
- When is it sensible to use 'dilettante' instead of 'amateur'?The words dilettante and amateur can be used in similar contexts, but dilettante may apply to the lover of an art rather than its skilled practitio...
- When might 'tyro' be a better fit than 'amateur'?The words tyro and amateur are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulti...
1. a person who engages in an activity, esp a sport, as a pastime rather than professionally or for gain. 2. (General Sporting Terms) an athlete or sportsman. 3. a person unskilled in or having only a superficial knowledge of a subject or activity. 4. a person who is fond of or admires something.
amateur noun [C] (HOBBY) someone who does something as a hobby and not as their job. amateur noun [C] (NO SKILL) someone who is not good at what they do: I won't be giving them any more work - they're a bunch of amateurs. (Definition of amateur from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Translations of amateur.
