1
as in tinkerers
a person who regularly or occasionally engages in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession
an amateur photographer who has won a number of photo contests
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in beginners
a person who lacks experience and competence in an art or science
a homemade doghouse that looked like it was built by an amateur who hadn't mastered basic carpentry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of amateurs
The first home movie may be more than a century old, but home video gave amateurs seemingly boundless capacity for recording family and friends.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
As its reputation grew nationally and its attendance grew, Cypress Gardens became a favorite spot for photographers – amateurs and professionals.
—Roger Simmons, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2026
That particular game against the Soviet Union was an easy unifier; a team comprised of amateurs playing against glorified professionals during the Cold War.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Feb. 2026
But for years now, groups of amateurs have been gathering with sketchbooks in cities across the world to turn their artistic gaze to the everyday sights of skyscrapers and sidewalks — and find beauty there.
—Deena Prichep, NPR, 19 Feb. 2026
Vitello, standing in front of a group of professionals instead of amateurs, told his team about his background, his origins.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Olympics athletes, with rare exceptions like the basketball teams or hockey teams, or a Michael Phelps or Shaun White, are amateurs.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
Only amateurs, another agent told me, would try to cut corners by using AI photos.
—Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
Aside from the New York Giants’ capitalizing on John Harbaugh’s sudden availability, the most memorable parts of this period will be owners behaving like amateurs in public and then defaulting to their callow and superficial hiring practices.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
As its reputation grew nationally and its attendance grew, Cypress Gardens became a favorite spot for photographers – amateurs and professionals.
—Roger Simmons, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2026
That particular game against the Soviet Union was an easy unifier; a team comprised of amateurs playing against glorified professionals during the Cold War.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Feb. 2026
But for years now, groups of amateurs have been gathering with sketchbooks in cities across the world to turn their artistic gaze to the everyday sights of skyscrapers and sidewalks — and find beauty there.
—Deena Prichep, NPR, 19 Feb. 2026
Vitello, standing in front of a group of professionals instead of amateurs, told his team about his background, his origins.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Olympics athletes, with rare exceptions like the basketball teams or hockey teams, or a Michael Phelps or Shaun White, are amateurs.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
Only amateurs, another agent told me, would try to cut corners by using AI photos.
—Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
Aside from the New York Giants’ capitalizing on John Harbaugh’s sudden availability, the most memorable parts of this period will be owners behaving like amateurs in public and then defaulting to their callow and superficial hiring practices.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amateurs
Noun
-
Rather than targeting end users, the company aims to empower developers, researchers, and tinkerers to create breakthrough humanoid applications without building full robots from scratch.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Dedicated sports engineers and tinkerers alike continue to fine tune specialized skate designs.—
Mark Hay,
Popular Science,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Playa Cerritos offers both a gentle beach break for beginners and a more adventurous rocky point break for experts.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
26 Feb. 2026
-
And while 20 percent of its trails are marked for beginners, Whistler really is a seasoned skier's paradise, as 35 percent of the trails are marked as intermediate and a whopping 45 percent are roughly divided between advanced terrain and experts-only.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
For surf enthusiasts, Big Wave Bay is your call to arms, or rather, boards.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The large primary bedroom — complete with a fireplace and walls of glass that look out to the pool — is especially sumptuous for wellness enthusiasts.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There will be a live piano performance, woodblock printmaking, paper mâché egg coloring, kids’ painting project and a community Sofreh Haftseen project.—
Pomerado News,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Under-fives eat free at the hotel's restaurants, while kids 6–12 get half-off meals, and dedicated kids' menus are available at Kiln & Tonic and Driftwood (the chefs at Sushi Migiwa and Teppanyaki Totsuji will create one upon request).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Group of beginners, hobbyists and professionals who like to take and share photos.—
Staff Report,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Popular with educators and computer hobbyists, the low-cost machines are now being sought for running AI agents like OpenClaw, as a safer alternative to a user’s main device, or the cloud, where agents could wreak havoc by, say, mistakenly wiping your entire drive.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Prepping a seating chart and staggering hot pot novices with pros can help guests feel taken care of.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
20 Feb. 2026
-
True beginners gravitate to Dollar Mountain, a gentler learning area just across State Highway 75, leaving Bald Mountain refreshingly free of novices.—
Denny Lee,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amateurs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amateurs. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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