unprofessional

adjective

un·​pro·​fes·​sion·​al ˌən-prə-ˈfesh-nəl 

-ˈfe-shə-nᵊl

: not exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, or generally businesslike manner in the workplace : not professional

unprofessional attire

unprofessional comments

Synonyms

• amateur
• amateurish
• dilettante
• dilettantish
• inexperienced
• inexpert
• jackleg
• nonprofessional
• unskilled
• unskillful

Examples of unprofessional in a Sentence

an unprofessional carelessness about the accuracy of the news story

Recent Examples on the Web

The barbed posts divided fans as some found the posts to be hilarious and others labeled them generally unprofessional and uncalled for. —Moná Thomas, People.com, 15 Apr. 2025

This Resolution of Inquiry will allow Congress to review all the protocol breaches in order to put a stop to the slipshod and unprofessional handling of our national security and force protection responsibilities. —Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025

While she's criticized for inconsistent TV performances, she's rarely been accused of unprofessional conduct. —John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Apr. 2025

These trends, rooted in Black culture, were stigmatized and deemed unprofessional or rebellious. —Bryce Alexander Dixon, Essence, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unprofessional

• nonprofessional
• preprofessional
• subprofessional
• compressional
• concessional
• confessional
• congressional
• obsessional
• processional
• professional
• recessional
• successional

Kids Definition

unprofessional

adjective

un·​pro·​fes·​sion·​al

ˌən-prə-ˈfesh-nəl,

-ən-ᵊl

: not professional

especially : not up to the standards of one's profession

unprofessionally

-ē

adverb