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
Through both instruction and practice, her once amateurish videos evolved into photojournalism.
—
Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 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
But his manipulation skills are amateurish at best, and the fact that almost all of his plans go off without a hitch is pretty far-fetched.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The results can seem alternately astounding and amateurish.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
Those kinds of records—Talulah Gosh and Beat Happening—tended to the lo-fi and amateurish as a point of pride.
—Elizabeth Nelson, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
This annoyed Potter, who felt holding talks in such a public place was an amateurish move.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Bannon, for his part, slammed Kennedy's effectiveness as health secretary, calling his efforts to implement an anti-vaccine agenda unserious and amateurish.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 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
But his manipulation skills are amateurish at best, and the fact that almost all of his plans go off without a hitch is pretty far-fetched.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The results can seem alternately astounding and amateurish.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
Those kinds of records—Talulah Gosh and Beat Happening—tended to the lo-fi and amateurish as a point of pride.
—Elizabeth Nelson, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
This annoyed Potter, who felt holding talks in such a public place was an amateurish move.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Bannon, for his part, slammed Kennedy's effectiveness as health secretary, calling his efforts to implement an anti-vaccine agenda unserious and amateurish.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amateurish
Adjective
-
Jamie Lee Curtis stars as mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher, the role that Angela Lansbury originated on the long-running CBS show.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Today, the idea of turning any random passerby into an amateur botanist may not seem extraordinary.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Mullin will also face congressional Democrats’ wrath as lawmakers on Capitol Hill have already begun to investigate DHS for the massive contracts to individuals and companies that were inexperienced, had connections to Noem’s staff, or contained other irregularities.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Schaeffer won over most of the Rockies players quickly, but, fielding a young, inexperienced team, Colorado limped toward the finish line, going 4-21 in September.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Jordan declared a mistrial later in the proceedings after one of the defense attorneys described his unprofessional tone in court.—
Camila Gomez,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
An employee allegedly complained to management about Bartels' use of the word, and Bartels was fired two days later for violating the organization’s code of conduct by using unprofessional language.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amateurish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amateurish. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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