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

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

1. amateurnoun

   someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime

2. amateuradjective

   an athlete who does not play for pay

3. amateur, recreational, unpaidadjective

   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, unskilledadjective

   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. amateurnoun

   A lover of something.

2. amateurnoun

   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.

3. amateurnoun

   Someone who is unqualified or insufficiently skillful.

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

4. amateuradjective

   Non-professional.

5. amateuradjective

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

   amateur sports

6. amateuradjective

   Showing a lack of professionalism, experience or talent.

   Duct tape is a sure sign of amateur workmanship.

7. Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

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

1. Amateurnoun

   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

2. 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.]

Matched Categories

1. • Person

British National Corpus

1. Adjectives Frequency

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

How to pronounce amateur?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Ralph Waldo Emerson:

   Every artist was first an amateur.

2. Lorena Ochoa:

   It's going to be a great motivation for the new generations, this is as big as a tournament that you have in your mind — the U.S. Amateur, or the Olympics — that you dream that you want to win.

3. Laura Jaworski:

   Amateur and expert, master and novice, what are these words to Creativity? It loves them all.

4. Mary Bos:

   I loved living in Amsterdam. It was really wonderful. As a child I have to explain about my parents. My dad and I were born in Amsterdam and my mom and brother were born in Philadelphia. So my dad was a billiard player and he was a world amateur champion. When he went to the United States my mother also played and she refereed a game he played and that’s how they met. They were married, they had my brother, they came back to the Netherlands and that’s where I was born. After about 5 years we came to the United States for the summer, then went back for two years to the Netherlands, then my mother became homesick again, so back to the United States and we lived there for 2 years then we came back to Holland after that and our family had planned to stay there for the rest of their lives but different things happened so we came to the united states in February 1940 before the Netherlands was invaded.

5. 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.

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