as in amateur
lacking or showing a lack of expert skill
that's an amateurish wallpapering job—the pattern doesn't match at the seams
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Recent Examples of amateurish
But all this was in keeping with the amateurish nature of the tournament.
—
Michael Cox, New York Times, 3 June 2026
What the evaluation process actually looks like A major myth says online screens are flimsy or amateurish.
—Lucy Jones
april 11, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
The amateurish stickup failed, fast.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Perhaps in a previous time where Plantasia and Ernest Hood weren’t so in-demand, Freedom to Spend wouldn’t have been incentivized to dig up this amateurish set of tracks, and give it the full reissue treatment.
—Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
In an embarrassingly amateurish political stunt, Bianco blew the president a kiss and all but begged for an endorsement by seizing 650,000 ballots from last November’s election to determine whether they were fraudulently counted.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
The wildly amateurish performances turn the story’s tragic high points into moments of unintentional goofiness.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
At times, Epstein characterized the billionaire’s office as sloppy and amateurish, exposing him to taxes and reputational risks while making sensitive payments.
—Tom Schoenberg, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
Bad dialogue, phoned in performances and a bafflingly amateurish script make this an easy skip on Netflix.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Michael Cox, New York Times, 3 June 2026
What the evaluation process actually looks like A major myth says online screens are flimsy or amateurish.
—Lucy Jones
april 11, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
The amateurish stickup failed, fast.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Perhaps in a previous time where Plantasia and Ernest Hood weren’t so in-demand, Freedom to Spend wouldn’t have been incentivized to dig up this amateurish set of tracks, and give it the full reissue treatment.
—Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
In an embarrassingly amateurish political stunt, Bianco blew the president a kiss and all but begged for an endorsement by seizing 650,000 ballots from last November’s election to determine whether they were fraudulently counted.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
The wildly amateurish performances turn the story’s tragic high points into moments of unintentional goofiness.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
At times, Epstein characterized the billionaire’s office as sloppy and amateurish, exposing him to taxes and reputational risks while making sensitive payments.
—Tom Schoenberg, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
Bad dialogue, phoned in performances and a bafflingly amateurish script make this an easy skip on Netflix.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amateurish
Adjective
-
Inside the house, a 33-year-old amateur gunsmith who goes by the pseudonym Yeezy wondered what to do.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
-
In hacker circles, such moves are considered amateur mistakes.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
At $18 or even $15 per hour, many companies don’t see value in hiring inexperienced teens who require extensive training to interact with customers, let alone achieve some measure of productivity.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
Lagway’s depature after 19 starts leaves the Gators to choose between two talented, yet inexperienced options with just one combined start — by Philo against Gardner-Webb in 2025.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
What a nasty, unprofessional comment about a member of this city’s constituency who has spent much time on important issues.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
16 June 2026
-
Kaplan’s interactions with employees, according to several former staffers, could similarly veer into the unprofessional.—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amateurish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amateurish. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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