Amateur Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

Britannica Dictionary definition of AMATEUR

[count]

1

:

a person who does something (such as a sport or hobby) for pleasure and not as a job

• She played soccer as an amateur before turning professional.
• These photos were taken by both amateurs and professionals.

2

:

a person who does something poorly

:

a person who is not skillful at a job or other activity

• The people running that company are a bunch of amateurs.
• Only amateurs make this kind of mistake.
• He's a mere amateur when it comes to cooking. [=he doesn't know how to cook well]

— amateur

adjective,

always used before a noun

• amateur photographers/athletes
• an amateur competition [=a contest for amateurs]
• They competed at the amateur level.

— amateurism

/ˈæməˌtɚˌɪzəm/

noun

[noncount]

• a strong supporter of amateurism in sports
• the amateurism [=the lack of skill] of her writing style