as in amateurishness
a lack of the level of skill associated with an expert or professional
the new defense secretary proceeded to criticize the amateurism of the nation's war effort up to that point
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Recent Examples of amateurism
For a long time, amateurism was the name of the game at the Olympics.
—
Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Inside athletic departments across the country, executives are coping with financial impacts driven by the death of amateurism in high-level college sports.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Arguments can be made that NIL has put the final nail in the coffin to eliminate amateurism in college sports, but truthfully, amateurism in college sports died some time ago as the NCAA, institutions and media profited off the athletes.
—Eddie Edwards Jr, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026
Jersey sales was probably one of the most egregious hypocrisies of the NCAA’s amateurism rule for student athletes, which stipulated that players were never to benefit financially from their name, image and likeness — even if others did.
—Andrea Williams, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
After years of defending/defining the concept of amateurism, a Supreme Court decision forced the NCAA to revoke its restrictions on athlete compensation.
—Nick Lomaglio, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Inside athletic departments across the country, executives are coping with financial impacts driven by the death of amateurism in high-level college sports.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Arguments can be made that NIL has put the final nail in the coffin to eliminate amateurism in college sports, but truthfully, amateurism in college sports died some time ago as the NCAA, institutions and media profited off the athletes.
—Eddie Edwards Jr, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026
Jersey sales was probably one of the most egregious hypocrisies of the NCAA’s amateurism rule for student athletes, which stipulated that players were never to benefit financially from their name, image and likeness — even if others did.
—Andrea Williams, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
After years of defending/defining the concept of amateurism, a Supreme Court decision forced the NCAA to revoke its restrictions on athlete compensation.
—Nick Lomaglio, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amateurism
Noun
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Their design was unpolished, even primitive, seemingly to convey a sense of slapdash amateurishness.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But its lofty position is threatened by, among other things, America’s own chronic inability to keep a balanced budget, and the administration’s trade policy is part of what’s holding it back from doing so.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
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Rust, more than most of the Penguins, has taken the franchise’s recent inability to reach the postseason especially hard in recent years.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amateurism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amateurism. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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