Synonyms of professional

professional 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in technical

having or showing trained ability in a particular field of knowledge

Many of the applicants lacked the professional experience the job required.

She had always dreamed of becoming a professional boxer.

Related Words

• technical
• skilled
• specialized
• pro
• expert
• skillful
• technicalized
• experienced
• specialist
• educated
• proficient
• qualified
• veteran
• adept
• practiced
• seasoned
• ace
• master
• trained
• prepared
• masterly
• masterful
• accomplished
• directorial
• authoritative
• magisterial
• schooled

Dissimilar Words

• nonprofessional
• unprofessional
• general
• lay
• nontechnical
• inexpert
• ordinary
• overall
• common
• generic
• universal
• generalized
• nonspecific
• untechnical
• nonexclusive

2

as in civil

in a serious and polite manner

She found his presentation informative and his delivery quite professional.

Employees were expected to act in a professional manner when dealing with potential customers.

Related Words

• civil
• respectable
• businesslike
• proper
• gracious
• distinguished
• polished
• dignified
• courteous
• serious-minded
• sophisticated
• nice
• well-bred
• mannerly
• earnest
• correct
• serious
• decorous
• decent
• genteel
• befitting
• refined
• elevated
• artful
• seemly
• solemn
• unsmiling
• humorless
• no-nonsense
• staid
• sober
• sedate
• de rigueur
• severe
• po-faced
• uncomic
• grave
• sobersided
• weighty
• cool

Dissimilar Words

• unprofessional
• unbusinesslike
• improper
• artless
• undignified
• comic
• indecent
• light
• funny
• unseemly
• unmannerly
• ridiculous
• comical
• hysterical
• hilarious
• ludicrous
• farcical
• riotous
• frivolous
• laughable
• lighthearted
• goofy
• antic
• droll
• uproarious
• risible
• foolish
• mad
• insane
• absurd
• silly
• humorous
• screaming
• scatterbrained
• playful
• zany
• crazy
• unwise
• puerile
• wacky
• flighty
• fatuous
• jerky
• nutty
• nonsensical
• joking
• harebrained
• preposterous
• jocular
• flippant
• cuckoo
• kooky
• loony
• senseless
• witless
• asinine
• brainless
• sappy
• sidesplitting
• daffy
• balmy
• facetious
• daft
• flip
• ludic
• cockeyed
• kittenish
• light-headed
• screwball
• featherbrained
• weak-minded
• dotty
• half-witted
• jesting

professional

2 of 2

noun

as in specialist

a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field

If you want the job done right, you really should hire a professional.

Related Words

• specialist
• consultant
• pro
• craftsman
• enthusiast
• fan
• expert
• devotee
• hired gun
• journeyman
• aficionado
• addict
• buff
• guru
• master
• artist
• proficient
• virtuoso
• scholar
• adept
• Renaissance man
• shark
• hotshot
• connoisseur
• sharp
• all-rounder
• maestro
• geek
• wizard
• jack-of-all-trades
• crackerjack
• ace
• past master
• whiz
• maven
• authority
• dab hand
• meister
• fiend
• cognoscente
• hand
• dab

Dissimilar Words

• novice
• beginner
• apprentice
• neophyte
• layman
• amateur
• dilettante
• dabbler
• nonprofessional
• nonexpert
• inexpert

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of professional

Adjective

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended from professional tennis after testing positive for cocaine. — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Nominees were announced this week for the 2026 Suzi Bass Awards, Atlanta’s version of the Tony Awards, recognizing excellence in Atlanta’s professional theater community. — Ajc Staff, AJC.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Noun

The Second Annual Shabbat 1000 at the Gale Young Jewish professionals come together for a night of dinner, cocktails and Shabbat traditions hosted by the nonprofit YJP Miami. — Jessica Tzikas, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026

Dawson believes the future belongs to platforms capable of translating biological complexity into practical decisions that individuals and healthcare professionals can actually apply. — Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026