amateur

1 of 2

noun (1)

am·​a·​teur ˈa-mə-chər 

-ˌchu̇r, 

-(ˌ)tər  -ˌtu̇r 

-ˌtyu̇r

1

: one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession

a group of professional musicians and talented amateurs

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.

You can tell that the work was done by amateurs.

He's a mere amateur when it comes to cooking.

3

: devotee, admirer

I am a philologist or amateur of the language …

—Philip Howard

amateur adjective

an amateur astronomer/athlete

did an amateur job

amateurish

ˌa-mə-ˈchər-ish, 

-ˈchu̇r-, 

-ˈtər-, 

-ˈtu̇r- 

-ˈtyu̇r-

adjective

amateurish work

amateurishly adverb

amateurishness noun

amateurism

ˈa-mə-chər-ˌi-zəm, 

-ˌchu̇r-, 

-(ˌ)tər- 

-ˌtu̇r-, 

-ˌtyu̇r-

noun

amateurism

2 of 2

noun (2)

am·​a·​teur·​ism ˈa-mə-ˌtər-ˌi-zəm  -ˌt(y)u̇r- 

-ˌchu̇r-, 

-chər-;

-ˌtə-ri-, 

-ˌchə-ri-

plural -s

: the practice, characteristics, or status of an amateur : nonprofessionalism

amateurism in athletics

a staff notable for its amateurism

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms of amateur

Noun (1)

• tinkerer
• hobbyist
• potterer
• enthusiast

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

Examples of amateur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Baseball owners proposed banning high school players from signing with major-league teams, raising the age for international amateurs and slashing the money spent on signing bonuses in negotiations Thursday for a new collective bargaining agreement. — Ronald Blum, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2026

Who might be a fit coming from the amateur ranks? — Marisa Ingemi, Mercury News, 15 June 2026

Most American soccer fans wouldn’t hesitate in saying that the United States winning the World Cup would clearly be a much bigger shock than the group of literal amateurs upsetting the greatest ice hockey team on watch at the 1980 winter games. — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026

Deep passion for chess Russia has a deep and proud chess tradition, and amateurs can be seen hunched over boards on pavements and in parks at virtually all times of the year. — CNN Money, 12 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French, "one who loves, lover," borrowed from Latin amātor "lover, enthusiastic admirer, devotee," from amāre "to have affection for, love, be in love, make love to" (of uncertain origin) + -tōr-, -tor, agent suffix

Note: Latin amāre has been explained as an original stative verb with -ē- (hence, *ama-ē-, comparable to *sta-ē- > stāre "to stand"), formed from a root present *ama-, going back to an Indo-European verbal base *h₂m̥h₃- or *h₃m̥h₃- "take hold of, grasp" (whence also Sanskrit ámīti "takes hold of, swears," Greek ómnymi, omnýnai "to affirm with an oath," presumably originally "hold fast to an object while swearing"). Semantically the development in Latin is hypothetically "to grasp the hand of" > "to treat as a friend" > "to love." Supporting the presence of the verbal base in Italic would be the form amatens, allegedly, "(they) have seized" or "they have received" in a Sabellic text (the Aes Rapinum of the ancient Marrucini). According to an older theory amāre may be linked to a group of expressive/nursery words, as Latin amita "aunt," *amma "mother" (presumed from derivatives in personal names), Oscan ammai (dative singular) "mother." Another point of comparison with amāre has been Old Irish námae (genitive námat) "enemy," if it goes back to a participial formation *n(e)-h₂m̥h₃-(e)nt- "not loving" (compare Latin inimicus enemy), though the verbal base *h₂emh₃- is not otherwise attested in this or any other sense in Celtic. Concerning the derivative amīcus "friend" see note at amiable.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1757, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1838, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing amateur

• amateur dramatic
• amateur dramatics

Rhymes for amateur

• connoisseur
• kieselguhr
• monseigneur
• procureur
• retransfer
• saboteur
• silencer
• voyageur
• birr
• blur
• bur
• cur

Kids Definition

amateur

noun

am·​a·​teur ˈam-ə-ˌtər  -ət-ər  -ə-ˌt(y)u̇(ə)r 

-ə-chu̇(ə)r, 

-ə-chər

1

: a person who takes part in an activity (as a study or sport) for pleasure and not for pay

2

: a person who engages in something without experience or skill

mistakes made only by an amateur

amateur adjective

amateurish

ˌam-ə-ˈtər-ish 

-ˈt(y)u̇(ə)r-ish

adjective

amateurishly adverb

amateurishness noun

Etymology

Noun

from French amateur "one who admires or is devoted to something," derived from Latin amare "to love" — related to amorous