non·pro·fes·sion·al
ˌnän-prə-ˈfesh-nəl 
-ˈfe-shə-nᵊl
: not professional: such as
a
: not belonging to or trained in a particular profession
overtime pay for nonprofessional employees
nonprofessional jobs
b
: engaging in or practicing some craft or art without previous training or professional status : amateur
a nonprofessional actor
plural nonprofessionals
: a person who is not a professional: such as
a
: someone who does not belong to or possess training in a particular profession
the role of nonprofessionals in mental health care
b
: someone who engages in or practices some craft or art without previous training or professional status
a cooking class for nonprofessionals
a cast of mostly nonprofessionals
nonprofessionally
adverb
has been singing nonprofessionally for many years
Examples of nonprofessional in a Sentence
Adjective
racing stunts that nonprofessional drivers should not attempt to duplicate
didn't like the nonprofessional photos the modeling agency did for her
Noun
one need not be a legal professional to join the bar association; it is open to professionals and nonprofessionals alike
Recent Examples on the Web
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
The new cap of $20,500 per year for students in nonprofessional graduate degree programs is far less than the total cost of attendance at major Colorado universities.
—Kaelyn Lara, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
In 2008, a first-time director named Lance Hammer broke out at the Sundance Film Festival with Ballast, a somber drama set in the Mississippi Delta, produced over several years, and starring a cast of nonprofessionals.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nonprofessional
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Adjective
Kiarostami had made films mostly with nonprofessional actors, often about rural people of modest means.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
The new cap of $20,500 per year for students in nonprofessional graduate degree programs is far less than the total cost of attendance at major Colorado universities.
—Kaelyn Lara, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
But there are two categories of nonprofessionals whose place in the history of the art strikes me as particularly exalted.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
In 2008, a first-time director named Lance Hammer broke out at the Sundance Film Festival with Ballast, a somber drama set in the Mississippi Delta, produced over several years, and starring a cast of nonprofessionals.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nonprofessional
Cite this Entry
“Nonprofessional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonprofessional. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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