semiprofessional

[ sem-ee-pruh-fesh-uh-nl, sem-ahy- ]

adjective

1. actively engaged in some field or sport for pay but on a part-time basis:

   semiprofessional baseball players.

2. engaged in by paid, part-time people:

   semiprofessional football.

3. having some features of professional work but requiring less knowledge, skill, and judgment:

   a semiprofessional job.

noun

1. a person who is active in some field or sport for pay on a part-time basis.

semiprofessional

/ ˌsɛmɪprəˈfɛʃənəl /

adjective

1. (of a person) engaged in an activity or sport part-time but for pay
2. (of an activity or sport) engaged in by semiprofessional people
3. of or relating to a person whose activities are professional in some respects

   a semiprofessional pianist

noun

1. a semiprofessional person

Derived Forms

• ˌsemiproˈfessionally, adverb

Other Words From

• semi·pro·fession·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of semiprofessional¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; semi- + professional

Example Sentences

Ryder said Sunday that after high school, he received a degree in acting from the University of Washington and worked as a “semiprofessional” actor for several years.

From Seattle Times

She has taken a somewhat unorthodox slant in her advertising, highlighting her background as a semiprofessional pool player in a digital ad and a mailer sent to nearly 100,000 households.

From Los Angeles Times

He had previously worked as a rodeo hand, a roughneck in the Oklahoma oil fields and as a semiprofessional football player to support his young family.

From New York Times

The Santa Monica-based company hopes to do for singing and production what Instagram did for photography and TikTok for video editing — make it uncannily easy to express yourself at a semiprofessional level on social media.

From Los Angeles Times

Founded in 2020 by Colombian immigrant Sebastian Diaz, Cultures United is a semiprofessional soccer organization that develops young players at no cost and trains them to become community leaders at the same time.

From Seattle Times