amateur
ama·teur [amateur amateurs] noun, adjective BrE [ˈæmətə(r)] NAmE [ˈæmətər] BrE [ˈæmətʃə(r)] NAmE [ˈæmətʃər]
noun
1. a person who takes part in a sport or other activity for enjoyment, not as a job
•The tournament is open to both amateurs and professionals.
2. (usually disapproving)a person who is not skilled
•This work was done by a bunch of amateurs!
Opp: ↑professional
Word Origin:
late 18th cent.: from French, from Italian amatore, from Latin amator ‘lover’, from amare ‘to love’.
Example Bank:
•I was competing as an amateur.
•International affairs today are no longer for gentleman amateurs.
•The others had been skiing since they could walk and made her look a rank amateur.
•They're just a bunch of amateurs.
Derived Word: ↑amateurism
adjective
1. usually before noun doing sth for enjoyment or interest, not as a job
•an amateur photographer
2. usually before noun done for enjoyment, not as a job
•amateur athletics
3. (usually disapproving) = ↑amateurish
Opp: ↑professional
Word Origin:
late 18th cent.: from French, from Italian amatore, from Latin amator ‘lover’, from amare ‘to love’.
Example Bank:
•The performance sounded very amateur, I'm afraid.
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