Amateur Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms amateur American [am-uh-choor, -cher, -ter, am-uh-tur] / ˈæm əˌtʃʊər, -tʃər, -tər, ˌæm əˈtɜr /

noun

1. a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons.

2. an athlete who has never competed for payment or for a monetary prize.

   Synonyms: nonprofessional

3. a person inexperienced or unskilled in a particular activity.

   Hunting lions is not for amateurs.

   Synonyms: novice, tyro, dilettante

4. a person who admires something; devotee; fan.

   an amateur of the cinema.

adjective

1. characteristic of or engaged in by an amateur; nonprofessional.

   an amateur painter; amateur tennis.

amateur British / -tʃə, ˌæməˈtɜː, ˈæmətə, -ˌtjʊə /

noun

1. a person who engages in an activity, esp a sport, as a pastime rather than professionally or for gain

2. 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

5. (modifier) consisting of or for amateurs

   an amateur event

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

1. amateurish; not professional or expert

   an amateur approach

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• amateurism noun
• proamateur adjective

Etymology

Origin of amateur

1775–85; < French, Middle French < Latin amātor lover, equivalent to amā- (stem of amāre to love) + -tor -tor, replaced by French -teur (< Latin -tōr-, oblique stem of -tor ); -eur

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.

Former amateur rugby players with early onset dementia say they have been left with "no help and no hope".

From BBC

Welcome to the age of AI hacking, in which the right prompts make amateurs into master hackers.

From Los Angeles Times

Now there was a Reddit forum called WallStreetBets, where amateur retail investors banded together around highly volatile securities, turning quick and substantial profits.

From The Wall Street Journal

But when unpaid amateurs climb together, things becomes murkier.

From BBC

A Turkish amateur footballer has gone viral for saving a seagull's life with CPR after it was struck down during an Istanbul match.

From Barron's

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.