amateur

noun

am·​a·​teur ˈa-mə-chər 

-ˌchu̇r,

-(ˌ)tər  -ˌtu̇r 

-ˌtyu̇r

1

: one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession

She played soccer as an amateur before turning professional.

a tournament that is open to both amateurs and professionals

2

: one lacking in experience and competence in an art or science

The people running that company are a bunch of amateurs.

He's a mere amateur when it comes to cooking.

3

: devotee, admirer

I am a philologist or amateur of the language …

—Phillip Howard

amateur adjective

an amateur athlete

amateurish

ˌa-mə-ˈchər-ish

-ˈchu̇r-

-ˈtər-

-ˈtu̇r- 

-ˈtyu̇r

adjective

amateurishly adverb

amateurishness noun

amateurism

ˈa-mə-chər-ˌi-zəm

-ˌchu̇r-

-(ˌ)tər- 

-ˌtu̇r-

-ˌtyu̇r-

noun

Did you know?

Should amateur only be used literally?

The earliest sense of amateur ("one that has a marked fondness, liking, or taste") is strongly connected to its roots: the word came into English from the French amateur, which in turn comes from the Latin word for “lover” (amator). This has led some people to assume that the word is properly used only in the sense “one who performs something for love rather than for money.” However, as is the case with so many other English words, amateur may mean two strikingly different things, referring to one who does something for the love of it and also to one who is not terribly competent at something.

Our earliest record of the word's literal sense comes from a 1777 source. By 1790, however, it was already being used in the somewhat condescending extended sense, as seen in George Rous’s description of Edmund Burke as “a bystander, a mere amateur of aristocracy” in his Thoughts on Government.

Synonyms

• dabbler
• dilettante
• hobbyist
• layman
• nonexpert
• nonprofessional
• potterer
• putterer
• tinkerer

Choose the Right Synonym for amateur

amateur, dilettante, dabbler, tyro mean a person who follows a pursuit without attaining proficiency or professional status.

amateur often applies to one practicing an art without mastery of its essentials

a painting obviously done by an amateur

; in sports it may also suggest not so much lack of skill but avoidance of direct remuneration.

remained an amateur despite lucrative offers

dilettante may apply to the lover of an art rather than its skilled practitioner but usually implies elegant trifling in the arts and an absence of serious commitment.

had no patience for dilettantes

dabbler suggests desultory habits of work and lack of persistence.

a dabbler who started novels but never finished them

tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering.

shows talent but is still a mere tyro

Examples of amateur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Signed as an international amateur out of Venezuela by the New York Yankees in 2015, Chaparro was promoted to Triple-A for the first time in 2023. —Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024

Reuss drove the 2025 Corvette ZR1 to a record to validate the vehicle's extreme performance and demonstrate that even a non-professional could drive it at that speed (truth be told, Mark knows his way around a racing circuit better than any amateur). —Michael Harley, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024

But the most amusing part of the sketch was Grande singing purposely off-key, demonstrating the atonality of an amateur with her flat notes and lackluster delivery. —Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2024

These amateur and master gardeners have made Elmwood a place for people to visit and enjoy, reclaiming it as a greenspace and gathering place as it was originally intended. —Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French, "one who loves, lover," borrowed from Latin amātor "lover, enthusiastic admirer, devotee," from amāre "to have affection for, love, be in love, make love to" (of uncertain origin) + -tōr-, -tor, agent suffix

Note: Latin amāre has been explained as an original stative verb with -ē- (hence, *ama-ē-, comparable to *sta-ē- > stāre "to stand"), formed from a root present *ama-, going back to an Indo-European verbal base *h₂m̥h₃- or *h₃m̥h₃- "take hold of, grasp" (whence also Sanskrit ámīti "takes hold of, swears," Greek ómnymi, omnýnai "to affirm with an oath," presumably originally "hold fast to an object while swearing"). Semantically the development in Latin is hypothetically "to grasp the hand of" > "to treat as a friend" > "to love." Supporting the presence of the verbal base in Italic would be the form amatens, allegedly, "(they) have seized" or "they have received" in a Sabellic text (the Aes Rapinum of the ancient Marrucini). According to an older theory amāre may be linked to a group of expressive/nursery words, as Latin amita "aunt," *amma "mother" (presumed from derivatives in personal names), Oscan ammai (dative singular) "mother." Another point of comparison with amāre has been Old Irish námae (genitive námat) "enemy," if it goes back to a participial formation *n(e)-h₂m̥h₃-(e)nt- "not loving" (compare Latin inimicus enemy), though the verbal base *h₂emh₃- is not otherwise attested in this or any other sense in Celtic. Concerning the derivative amīcus "friend" see note at amiable.

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing amateur

• amateur dramatic
• amateur dramatics

Kids Definition

amateur

noun

am·​a·​teur ˈam-ə-ˌtər  -ət-ər  -ə-ˌt(y)u̇(ə)r 

-ə-chu̇(ə)r,

-ə-chər

1

: a person who takes part in an activity (as a study or sport) for pleasure and not for pay

2

: a person who engages in something without experience or skill

mistakes made only by an amateur

amateur adjective

amateurish

ˌam-ə-ˈtər-ish 

-ˈt(y)u̇(ə)r-ish

adjective

amateurishly adverb

amateurishness noun

Etymology

from French amateur "one who admires or is devoted to something," derived from Latin amare "to love" — related to amorous