professional
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- expert, adept, competent, efficient, experienced, masterly, proficient, qualified, skilled
[noun]
Synonyms:
- expert, adept, maestro, master, past master, pro (informal), specialist, virtuoso

---

Antonyms: amateur

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. pro‧fes‧sion‧al¹ S2 W1 AC /prəˈfeʃənəl/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: profession, professional, professionalism; adverb: professionally, unprofessionally; adjective: professional ≠ unprofessional]

1. JOB [only before noun]
a) relating to a job that needs special education and training:
What professional qualifications does he have?
It is essential to get good professional advice.
You may need to seek professional help.
b) relating to your job or work and not to your private life:
professional contacts

2. WELL TRAINED showing that someone has been well trained and is good at their work:
This business plan looks very professional.
a more professional approach to work

3. PAID doing a job, sport, or activity for money, rather than just for fun ⇒ amateur:
a professional tennis player
a professional army
turn/go professional (=start to do something as a job)

4. TEAM/EVENT done by or relating to people who are paid to do a sport or activity ⇒ amateur:
a professional hockey team
The golf tournament is a professional event.

5. professional person/man/woman etc someone who works in a profession, or who has an important position in a company or business:
We’d prefer to rent the house to a professional couple.

6. professional liar/complainer etc someone who lies or complains too much – used humorously
—professionalization /prəˌfeʃənəlaɪˈzeɪʃən $ -lə-/ noun [uncountable]:
the increasing professionalization of childcare services
—professionalize /prəˈfeʃənəlaɪz/ verb [transitive]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. professional² W3 AC noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: profession, professional, professionalism; adverb: professionally, unprofessionally; adjective: professional ≠ unprofessional]

1. someone who earns money by doing a job, sport, or activity that many other people do just for fun ⇒ amateur:
Hurd signed as a professional in 1998.
top snooker professionals

2. someone who works in a job that needs special education and training, such as a doctor, lawyer, or architect:
health professionals (=doctors, nurses etc)

3. someone who has a lot of experience and does something very skilfully:
You sing like a real professional.

4. tennis/golf/swimming etc professional someone who is very good at a sport and is employed by a private club to teach its members

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

professional
adj.
I. connected with a job
VERBS be
ADV. purely, strictly He insisted that his relationship with the duchess was purely professional.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

professional
II. extremely skilled
VERBS be, look Their designs look very professional.
ADV. extremely, highly, really, truly, very He dealt with the problem in a highly professional way.
thoroughly | increasingly | almost | quite, rather

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

professional
III. done as a paid job, not a hobby
VERBS be | become, turn
ADV. fully He wants to turn fully professional.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

professional
noun
ADJ. committed, dedicated, experienced | real, true This is the work of a real professional.
leading, senior, top a top golf professional
independent The survey should be performed by an independent professional.
fellow an actor revered by his fellow professionals
computer, health (care), medical | golf, tennis, etc.

NOTE professionals

be, practise as ~    to practise as a consulting engineer act as ~    She is acting as architect on this project. have ~    The group does not have an internal auditor. need ~    We need an engineer to design us something better. find ~    It pays to find a good accountant. appoint, appoint sb (as), engage, get, instruct ~    Appoint a solictor to act on your behalf. consult (with), get/take advice from, go to, see, speak to, talk to ~    I demand to speak to my lawyer! an advocate, barrister, lawyer, solicitor acts for/defends/represents sb an in-house lawyer acting for a major company advise sb/sth ~    His accountant has advised him to close down his business.     ⇒ See also the note at JOB

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

professional

professional advice
Everyone considering buying a house should seek professional advice.
professional help
It is very important for parents to get professional help if this problem arises.
professional qualifications
Many of the courses lead directly to professional qualifications.
professional training
All the charity’s workers are volunteers, without professional training.
professional standards
The Law Society’s function is to maintain the highest professional standards.
a professional body/association (=organization that people from a particular profession can belong to)
Is your architect a member of a professional body?
a professional career
After retiring from sport, he began his professional career as a journalist.
sb’s professional life
At this point she took the biggest risk of her professional life.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲