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

Here’s the truth about the professional manicure alternative. — NBC news, 15 July 2026

Grubbs built a horse corral alongside a friend; professional rodeo cowboys assembled the rodeo sequence with speed and authenticity. — Callum McLennan, Variety, 15 July 2026

Noun

More than just a database, the MLS is the technology real estate professionals rely on to discover new listings, match buyers with homes, and share accurate property information. — Heartland Mls®, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026

And the startup couldn’t quite crack the market for professionals like marketers and salespeople because it wasn’t connected to their data and did not have the context needed to make good presentations. — Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026