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.

   Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

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.

   Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

3. amateurnoun

   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. amateuradjective

   Non-professional.

   Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

5. amateuradjective

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

   amateur sports

   Etymology: From amateur, from amatorem, from amare.

6. amateuradjective

   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. 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

   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. Danny Willett:

   Amateur and professional golf are very, very different but it put me in good stead, it made me believe that I could compete with the best of them.

2. Andrew Fazekas:

   Amateur astronomy clubs are throwing parties because this is what they live for - to get entire families excited about our place in the universe by seeing the mechanics of the cosmos.

3. Robert Robins:

   When we started going out into the field and collecting them and actually finding them in breeding condition or as dominant males, theyre stunningly beautiful, i think thats what the amateur community was keying in on. Theyre the ones detecting life color, and that was really instructive in determining this was a different species.

4. Jon Rahm:

   When I made the decision to come straight from Augusta it wouldn't be to just show up and walk around, I wanted to win this tournament, i've been blessed to be national champion from 16 to all ages in Spain. To round my amateur and pro career together in this way and win the last one I had to win and join that prestigious list of Spanish winners, it's hard to explain how good it feels and how satisfying it is.

5. Rod Laver:

   I was pretty fortunate this happened for the five years, then when Open tennis came along, and I got a chance to play in the Open ranks, I was a different player, all the amateur guys said: 'Who is this guy now? He doesn't miss too many, he doesn't make mistakes, his second service is as good as his first.'.

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