non·pro·fes·sion·al
ˌnän-prə-ˈfesh-nəl 
-ˈfe-shə-nᵊl
: not professional: such as
a
: not belonging to or trained in a particular profession
overtime pay for nonprofessional employees
nonprofessional jobs
b
: engaging in or practicing some craft or art without previous training or professional status : amateur
a nonprofessional actor
plural nonprofessionals
: a person who is not a professional: such as
a
: someone who does not belong to or possess training in a particular profession
the role of nonprofessionals in mental health care
b
: someone who engages in or practices some craft or art without previous training or professional status
a cooking class for nonprofessionals
a cast of mostly nonprofessionals
nonprofessionally
adverb
has been singing nonprofessionally for many years
Synonyms
Examples of nonprofessional in a Sentence
Adjective
racing stunts that nonprofessional drivers should not attempt to duplicate
didn't like the nonprofessional photos the modeling agency did for her
Noun
one need not be a legal professional to join the bar association; it is open to professionals and nonprofessionals alike
Recent Examples on the Web
Emilio Cozzi, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2024
The film, originally commissioned for television, was shot on 16-mm. film, but few theatres could project this nonprofessional format, which prevented the movie from getting a normal commercial release.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2024
PCMAG, 14 Aug. 2024
They could no longer be sold in small quantities or in settings such as grocery stores where nonprofessionals could easily acquire them.
—Bydina Fine Maron, science.org, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for nonprofessional 
Adjective
In September, the Polaris Dawn mission is expected to take off from Cape Canaveral, and will feature the first spacewalk by nonprofessional astronauts.
—Emilio Cozzi, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2024
The film, originally commissioned for television, was shot on 16-mm. film, but few theatres could project this nonprofessional format, which prevented the movie from getting a normal commercial release.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2024
Noun
Our Editors’ Choice winner for video editing for nonprofessionals is CyberLink PowerDirector, which also includes the kind of marketing tools that Captions also touts.
—PCMAG, 14 Aug. 2024
They could no longer be sold in small quantities or in settings such as grocery stores where nonprofessionals could easily acquire them.
—Bydina Fine Maron, science.org, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for nonprofessional
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonprofessional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nonprofessional
Cite this Entry
“Nonprofessional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonprofessional. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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