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

Chet played 16 seasons in professional baseball, starting with the Chicago White Sox and ending with the Detroit Tigers. — Mariah Alanskas, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026

Internal problems generally require professional repair or replacement. — Tricia Goss, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2026

Noun

Still, while many of the Gilded Age cast members are vocal professionals who regularly perform musical theater on Broadway, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

Financial and investing professionals caution against making any major money moves based on short-term market conditions. — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026