amateur
Pluralamateurs
Pluralamateurs
- 1A person who does an activity like music or painting for fun, not as a job.
Like a home cook who loves making food but does not work in a restaurant.
She is an amateur who paints beautiful pictures in her free time.
Many amateurs join the chess club to play on weekends.
Similarhobbyist, nonprofessional, enthusiast
Oppositeprofessional
Note
- 2Doing or done as a hobby, not as a paid job.
She is an amateur boxer, so no one pays her to fight.
As an amateur golfer, he cannot accept prize money.
Similarnonprofessional, unpaid, recreational
Oppositeprofessional
- 3Made or done by people who do it for fun, not as a job.
The school put on an amateur play with parents as the actors.
We watched an amateur video of the storm on the news.
Similarnonprofessional, homemade
Oppositeprofessional
- 4
- 5Done in a way that shows little skill, care, or experience.
The paint job looked amateur, with drips on every wall.
His amateur mistake cost the team the game.
Similarunprofessional, inexpert, clumsy, crude
Oppositeprofessional, expert, skilled, polished
Note
Less common meaning
- 6A person who loves or really enjoys something.
The old duke was an amateur of music and kept singers at his house.
he conducted extensive correspondence on wines with European suppliers, employing a wine vocabulary familiar to any modern amateur of wines.
2006, John Hailman, Thomas Jefferson on WineHere, amateur means a lover of something, a person who really enjoys wines.Note
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Origin
From French amateur, from Latin amātor meaning "lover," from amāre meaning "to love."