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.
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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.
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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.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of professional
Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
The pair continued supporting each other in their professional endeavors in the following months, and their connection appeared to grow more serious.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2025
Presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival is filled with cinematic creativity from award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for professional
Adjective
Russell knew that Miller, her lawyer friend, who had recommended the book to her, had started to question whether children should work as professional actors at all.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
The pair continued supporting each other in their professional endeavors in the following months, and their connection appeared to grow more serious.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
Cinema professionals, not politicians, review proposals, listen to pitches, and decide which films to support.
—Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2025
Presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival is filled with cinematic creativity from award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for professional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for professional
Adjective
-
The belief is that working on his mental approach with new goalie coach Peter Aubry, combined with a couple of technical adjustments, will help Skinner become more consistent and at his best — which is very good — more often.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
-
My ground floor criteria require accelerating revenue and earnings (both sequentially and year-over-year), reasonable valuation relative to the market, and solid technical action.—
Jeffrey Hirsch,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
European officials have also been warning about other hybrid threats and suspect Moscow was behind a string of incidents, including the sabotage of an undersea cable, cyberattacks, GPS jamming of civil aviation, and even acts of arson.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Dale Ellis covers the federal courthouse beat for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, reporting on criminal and civil matters that impact Arkansans.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Vanderbilt hospital is the only Level 1 pediatric trauma center within 150 miles, the top designation verified by the American College of Surgeons for around-the-clock specialists, a high volume of trauma cases, robust research and quality patient care.—
Beth Warren,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
-
His seventh and last child, daughter Love Sean Combs, was born in October 2022 with model and cybersecurity specialist Dana Tran.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The company is inviting research partners and developers to build upon its hardware platform, add custom tooling, and run their own software for specialized applications.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Officials also utilized a specialized drone with infrared technology and are awaiting results.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The series boasted respectable special effects, cool early CGI spaceship design, and old-fashioned space escapades.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
When Sotheby’s rolled out a selection of Grateful Dead memorabilia in October 2021, a mango yellow T-shirt made in 1967 and featuring the band’s logo was expected to rake in a respectable $6,000 to $8,000.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In 2024, 44% of all large employers covered GLP-1 drugs for obesity, up from 41% in 2023, according to Mercer, a benefits consultant.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
6 Oct. 2025
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In the Sacramento area, for instance, the forecast noted a big drop in business services employment, including tech workers, consultants, lawyers, accountants and architects.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Can Skjei, who’s skilled but had a nightmare first season in Nashville, bounce back?—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
But in addition to his reputation as a womanizer, Casanova was also a con man, a skilled liar who came from a family of actors and who over the course of his life manipulated and tricked countless people to maintain wealth and status.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
As the subject of Materialists, Lucy’s coolness evolves from a businesslike need to maintain control over a situation.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
-
And how would the famously gruff and businesslike Belichick work with nineteen-year-olds?—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Professional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professional. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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