unprofessional

American  

[uhn-pruh-fesh-uh-nl] / ˌʌn prəˈfɛʃ ə nl /

adjective

1. not professional; not pertaining to or characteristic of a profession.

2. at variance with or contrary to professional standards or ethics; not befitting members of a profession, as language, behavior, or conduct.

3. not belonging to a profession; nonprofessional.

4. not done with professional competence, as a play staged or an opera performed by amateurs; amateurish.

5. Sports. nonprofessional.

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noun

1. a person who is not a professional; amateur.

unprofessional British  

/ ˌʌnprəˈfɛʃənəl /

adjective

1. contrary to the accepted code of conduct of a profession

2. amateur

3. not belonging to or having the required qualifications for a profession

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Other Word Forms

• unprofessionalism noun
• unprofessionally adverb

Etymology

Origin of unprofessional

First recorded in 1800–10; un- ¹ + professional

Example Sentences

Gould said there were "some instances" that the ECB regarded as "significantly unprofessional".

From BBC

I could hear my voice, how unprofessional it sounded.

From Literature

Foreign policy analysts would normally consider distraction to be a lazy and unprofessional explanation for major actions like wars, if not a symptom of paranoid conspiracy thinking.

From Salon

The panel concluded his conduct was "clearly unprofessional" and involved attempts to gain an inappropriate level of familiarity with pupils.

From BBC

"We find it unprofessional and we find it unfair. We are looking forward to this being conducted under the rules and being conducted consistent with expectations."

From BBC

Related Words

• ignorant
• improper
• incompetent
• inefficient
• lax
• negligent
• unethical