amateur

noun

am·a·teur | \ ˈa-mə-(ˌ)tər

, -ˌtu̇r, -ˌtyu̇r, -ˌchu̇r

Definition of amateur

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 The people running that company are a bunch of amateurs. He's a mere amateur when it comes to cooking.

3 : devotee, admirer I am a philologist or amateur of the language …— Phillip Howard

Other Words from amateur Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Should amateur only be used literally? More Example Sentences Learn More about amateur

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Other Words from amateur

amateur adjective

an amateur athlete

amateurish \ ˌa-mə-ˈtər-ish

, -ˈt(y)u̇r- , -ˈchu̇r- , -ˈchər- \ adjective

amateurishly adverb

amateurishness noun

amateurism \ ˈa-mə-ˌtər-ˌi-zəm

, -ˌt(y)u̇r- , -ˌchu̇r- , -ˌchər- ; -ˌtə-ˌri- , -ˌchə-ˌri- \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for amateur

amateur, dilettante, dabbler, tyro mean a person who follows a pursuit without attaining proficiency or professional status. amateur often applies to one practicing an art without mastery of its essentials a painting obviously done by an amateur ; in sports it may also suggest not so much lack of skill but avoidance of direct remuneration. remained an amateur despite lucrative offers dilettante may apply to the lover of an art rather than its skilled practitioner but usually implies elegant trifling in the arts and an absence of serious commitment. had no patience for dilettantes dabbler suggests desultory habits of work and lack of persistence. a dabbler who started novels but never finished them tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering. shows talent but is still a mere tyro

Should amateur only be used literally?

The earliest sense of amateur ("one that has a marked fondness, liking, or taste") is strongly connected to its roots: the word came into English from the French amateur, which in turn comes from the Latin word for “lover” (amator). This has led some people to assume that the word is properly used only in the sense “one who performs something for love rather than for money.” However, as is the case with so many other English words, amateur may mean two strikingly different things, referring to one who does something for the love of it and also to one who is not terribly competent at something.

Our earliest record of the word's literal sense comes from a 1777 source. By 1790, however, it was already being used in the somewhat condescending extended sense, as seen in George Rous’s description of Edmund Burke as “a bystander, a mere amateur of aristocracy” in his Thoughts on Government.

Examples of amateur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Although OpenAI’s bots have previously beaten top pros in 1v1 matches and teams of skilled amateurs in 5v5 matches, these were comparatively simpler games. — James Vincent, The Verge, "Humans grab victory in first of three Dota 2 matches against OpenAI," 23 Aug. 2018 Ninety-five-year-old Easton Roy -- thought to be the world's oldest amateur rugby player -- has mastered both. — Zahid Mahmood, CNN, "Oldest winger in town: Veteran rugby player, 95, still scoring," 13 June 2018 USA Baseball on Monday named Oregon State Beavers juniors Trevor Larnach and Nick Madrigal as semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award that goes to the nation's top amateur baseball player. — Joel Odom, OregonLive.com, "Oregon State's Trevor Larnach, Nick Madrigal named Golden Spikes Award semifinalists," 21 May 2018 Lucrative but illicit gym-shoe contracts for amateur players also surfaced. — Joseph Epstein, WSJ, "I Loved College Basketball, but Now I Feel March Sadness," 15 Mar. 2018 While the men’s league draws huge crowds and brings in millions of dollars, female players are amateurs and get about 3,000 pesos (about $82) for travel expenses at a first division club. — Debora Rey, The Seattle Times, "Argentine women fight against inequality in soccer," 7 Nov. 2018 Lavender from Modern Sprout Modern Sprout has a wonderfully wide assortment of flora for the amateur, indoor-horticulturist; from a self-watering cilantro-growing kit to a table-top mossarium. — Marley Marius, Vogue, "8 Botanical Valentine’s Day Gifts That Aren’t Bouquets," 17 Jan. 2019 For an enthusiastic amateur like me, filling my cloud storage or my phone with huge video files just meant more work maintaining storage. — Alexander George, Popular Mechanics, "GoPro Hero 7 Hands-On: The Action Camera Built for Pros," 20 Sep. 2018 The American armed forces and Australian police provided several helpers, but the mission appears to have been led by the BCRC amateurs, who eventually numbered seven. — The Economist, "A cave rescue in Thailand shows Britain’s skill at spelunking," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amateur.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.