Definitions for amateur
ˈæm əˌtʃʊər, -tʃər, -tər, ˌæm əˈtɜram·a·teur

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. amateur(noun)

   someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime

2. amateur(adj)

   an athlete who does not play for pay

3. amateur, recreational, unpaid(adj)

   engaged in as a pastime

   "an amateur painter"; "gained valuable experience in amateur theatricals"; "recreational golfers"; "reading matter that is both recreational and mentally stimulating"; "unpaid extras in the documentary"

4. amateurish, amateur, inexpert, unskilled(adj)

   lacking professional skill or expertise

   "a very amateurish job"; "inexpert but conscientious efforts"; "an unskilled painting"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. amateur(Noun)

   A lover of something.

   Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

2. amateur(Noun)

   A person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science as to music or painting; especially one who cultivates any study or art, from taste or attachment, without pursuing it professionally.

   She is an accomplished amateur woodworker.

   Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

3. amateur(Noun)

   Someone who is unqualified or insufficiently skillful.

   The entire thing was built by some amateurs with screwdrivers and plywood.

   Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

4. amateur(Adjective)

   Non-professional.

   Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

5. amateur(Adjective)

   Created, done, or populated by amateurs or non-professionals.

   amateur sports

   Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

6. amateur(Adjective)

   Showing a lack of professionalism, experience or talent.

   Duct tape is a sure sign of amateur workmanship.

   Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Amateur(noun)

   a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science as to music or painting; esp. one who cultivates any study or art, from taste or attachment, without pursuing it professionally

   Etymology: [F., fr. L. amator lover, fr. amare to love.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Amateur

   An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science in a non-professional or unpaid manner. Amateurs often have little or no formal training in their pursuits, and many are autodidacts. Amateurism can be seen in both a negative and positive light. Since amateurs often do not have formal training, some amateur work may be considered sub-par. For example, amateur athletes in sports such as basketball, baseball or football are regarded as having a lower level of ability than professional athletes. On the other hand, an amateur may be in a position to approach a subject with an open mind and in a financially disinterested manner. An amateur who dabbles in a field out of casual interest rather than as a profession or serious interest, or who possesses a general but superficial interest in any art or a branch of knowledge, is often referred to as a dilettante. The lack of financial benefit can also be seen as a sign of commitment to an activity; and until the 1970s the Olympic rules required that competitors be amateurs. Receiving payment to participate in an event disqualified an athlete from that event, as in the case of Jim Thorpe. In the Olympics, this rule remains in place for boxing.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Amateur

   am′at-ūr, or am-at-ār′, n. one who cultivates a particular study or art for the love of it, and not professionally: in general terms, one who plays a game for pleasure, as distinguished from a professional who plays for money—nearly every game has its special definition to meet its own requirements.—adjs. Amateur; Amateur′ish, imperfect and defective, as the work of an amateur rather than a professional hand.—adv. Amateur′ishly.—ns. Amateur′ishness; Amateur′ism, Amateur′ship. [Fr.—L. amator, a lover, amāre, to love.]

British National Corpus

1. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'amateur' in Adjectives Frequency: #908

How to pronounce amateur?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say amateur in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of amateur in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of amateur in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of amateur in a Sentence

1. Paul Chodas:

   The asteroid will be brightest while it moves through southern skies, amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere and at low northern latitudes should be able to see this asteroid using moderate size telescopes with apertures of at least 8 inches in the nights leading up to closest approach, but they will probably need star charts to find it.

2. Socrates:

   No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training… what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.

3. James McNeill Whistler:

   Two and two continue to make four, in spite of the whine of the amateur for three, or the cry of the critic for five.

4. Joel H. Hildebrand:

   The invention of IQ did a great disservice to creativity in education. ... Individuality, personality, originality, are too precious to be meddled with by amateur psychiatrists whose patterns for a 'wholesome personality' are inevitably their own.

5. Matshona Dhliwayo:

   An ambitious amateur will rise above a complacent master.

Images & Illustrations of amateur

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