as in amateur
lacking or showing a lack of expert skill
that's an amateurish wallpapering job—the pattern doesn't match at the seams
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Recent Examples of amateurish
What the evaluation process actually looks like A major myth says online screens are flimsy or amateurish.
—
Lucy Jones
april 11, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
The amateurish stickup failed, fast.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Perhaps in a previous time where Plantasia and Ernest Hood weren’t so in-demand, Freedom to Spend wouldn’t have been incentivized to dig up this amateurish set of tracks, and give it the full reissue treatment.
—Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
In an embarrassingly amateurish political stunt, Bianco blew the president a kiss and all but begged for an endorsement by seizing 650,000 ballots from last November’s election to determine whether they were fraudulently counted.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
The wildly amateurish performances turn the story’s tragic high points into moments of unintentional goofiness.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
At times, Epstein characterized the billionaire’s office as sloppy and amateurish, exposing him to taxes and reputational risks while making sensitive payments.
—Tom Schoenberg, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
But his manipulation skills are amateurish at best, and the fact that almost all of his plans go off without a hitch is pretty far-fetched.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The results can seem alternately astounding and amateurish.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
Lucy Jones
april 11, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
The amateurish stickup failed, fast.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Perhaps in a previous time where Plantasia and Ernest Hood weren’t so in-demand, Freedom to Spend wouldn’t have been incentivized to dig up this amateurish set of tracks, and give it the full reissue treatment.
—Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
In an embarrassingly amateurish political stunt, Bianco blew the president a kiss and all but begged for an endorsement by seizing 650,000 ballots from last November’s election to determine whether they were fraudulently counted.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
The wildly amateurish performances turn the story’s tragic high points into moments of unintentional goofiness.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
At times, Epstein characterized the billionaire’s office as sloppy and amateurish, exposing him to taxes and reputational risks while making sensitive payments.
—Tom Schoenberg, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
But his manipulation skills are amateurish at best, and the fact that almost all of his plans go off without a hitch is pretty far-fetched.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The results can seem alternately astounding and amateurish.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amateurish
Adjective
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But an unlikely story is bubbling up in the nation as Chinese fans cheer on unlikely amateur soccer players – from delivery drivers to villagers – now playing in packed stadiums back home in a rare sign, some believe, that the Beautiful Game may finally be taking root in the nation.—
Reagan Yip,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
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For his senior season and recognition as a top draft prospect, Emerson was named a semifinalist for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the nation’s top amateur baseball player.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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The team overachieved this season partly because Mazzulla turned an inexperienced supporting cast into a strength.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
Short selling can be an intellectually demanding approach to the market, and many inexperienced traders fall into a trap, lured by overvaluation and hype.—
David Capablanca,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Loud crowds, bad lighting, wind noise, echo-heavy rooms or chaotic backstage areas can make content feel unprofessional no matter how good the conversation itself is.—
King Holder,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2026
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The latter may or may not be the case for Tom Hardy, as recent reports claim the actor's allegedly unprofessional behavior is causing tension on the set of the Paramount+ crime drama MobLand.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amateurish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amateurish. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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