Amateur meaning in English
Learn how to use Amateur correctly with Gymglish.
Test and improve your English. Start your free trial today.
TEST YOUR ENGLISH
Free trial and no commitment to buy
4,7 on App Store, Play Store and Trustpilot
More than 8 million learners worldwide
Definition
an amateur: a nonprofessional, a non-specialist; a fan (of a certain hobby or activity)
amateurish: unprofessional, not serious
Examples
- "Bruno : I'm working with a bunch of amateurs!"
- "Fiona : And you're quite an amateur."
- "I am not an amateur."
- "At the Dubai Pro-Am tournament, a major surprise as an amateur golfer named Terrance Cashman shocked the world by shooting three under par and defeating over fifty professionals taking part in the tournament."
- "Philip : I'm an amateur of women."
- "Susie : He wants to know why we're still using such an old-fashioned, amateurish design."
- "We've signed a "Gold Plan" with you amateurs, which means guaranteed next-day repair."
Exercise 1
Fiona tells Philip: "You're quite an amateur". In this sentence, "an amateur" is .
Philip replies "I'm an amateur of women". In this sentence, "an amateur" means .
Philip replies "I'm an amateur of women". In this sentence, "an amateur" means .
Fiona tells Philip: "You're quite an amateur". In this sentence, "an amateur" is a novice or beginner 1.
Philip replies "I'm an amateur of women". In this sentence, "an amateur" means to be a fan or admirer 2.
Philip replies "I'm an amateur of women". In this sentence, "an amateur" means to be a fan or admirer 2.
1 a novice or beginner: In English, the term "amateur" has two meanings. The primary meaning is "a novice" or "beginner", which is what Fiona is calling Philip here. An "amateur" is the antonym of "professional", which Philip calls Fiona earlier. In English, we generally use the term amateur to describe someone inexperienced, or someone who does something for pleasure rather than professionally. Example: He's an amateur boxer, or I'm an amateur poker player. The term can also describe something not officially recognized: an amateur football club, an amateur golf tournament.
1 a fan or admirer: In a different context, an amateur is indeed a "fan", "admirer" or an "enthusiast", as in the sentence "He's an amateur of French cinema", or "she's an amateur of Shakespeare". However, when Fiona tells Philip he is an amateur, she is commenting on his lack of professionalism, or his childish attempts to seduce her.
1 a charming person: The term "amateur" doesn't refer to a charming person in this or any other context.
1 a tactless person: A "tactless" person is one who says inappropriate things, or says things at the wrong time. Although Fiona may in fact believe that Philip is tactless, this is not what she is saying when she calls him an amateur.
2 to be a fan or admirer: When Philip says that he is an "amateur" of women, he means that he is an admirer of women, or that he appreciates women. This is the secondary meaning of "amateur" in English: an enthusiast or fan.
2 to be inexperienced: In a different context, an "amateur" is a "novice" or "beginner". However Philip is not calling himself a novice here. He is stating that he appreciates women.
2 to be successful: The term "amateur" doesn't refer a successful person in this context or any another.
2 to be talented: The term "amateur" doesn't refer a talented person in this context or any another.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with the following adjectives that were used in the audio. No term is used more than once, and not all terms are used!
weak | old-fashioned | amateurish | dull | bored | aged
This describes something which is not bright, clear or interesting: "The red in this painting was very bright, it has now lost its colour and looks faded and ."
This describes something which is not professional or has been made by an unskilled person: "This book was written by someone who doesn't know the genre, it's an piece of work."
This describes something which is fragile or lacks strength or power: "We found a link in our virus protection software."
weak | old-fashioned | amateurish | dull | bored | aged
This describes something which is not bright, clear or interesting: "The red in this painting was very bright, it has now lost its colour and looks faded and ."
This describes something which is not professional or has been made by an unskilled person: "This book was written by someone who doesn't know the genre, it's an piece of work."
This describes something which is fragile or lacks strength or power: "We found a link in our virus protection software."
Fill in the blanks with the following adjectives that were used in the audio. No term is used more than once, and not all terms are used!
weak | old-fashioned | amateurish | dull | bored | aged
This describes something which is not bright, clear or interesting: "The red in this painting was very bright, it has now lost its colour and looks faded and dull 1."
This describes something which is not professional or has been made by an unskilled person: "This book was written by someone who doesn't know the genre, it's an amateurish 2 piece of work."
This describes something which is fragile or lacks strength or power: "We found a weak 3 link in our virus protection software."
weak | old-fashioned | amateurish | dull | bored | aged
This describes something which is not bright, clear or interesting: "The red in this painting was very bright, it has now lost its colour and looks faded and dull 1."
This describes something which is not professional or has been made by an unskilled person: "This book was written by someone who doesn't know the genre, it's an amateurish 2 piece of work."
This describes something which is fragile or lacks strength or power: "We found a weak 3 link in our virus protection software."
1 dull: Bruno says that the typeface looks "faded and dull". "Faded" shares a similar meaning with "dull". Both adjectives describe something which has lost its colour or brilliance. Example: My t-shirt is faded and dull, it used to be bright red, now it's pale pink. "Dull" also describes something that is lacking in liveliness or animation and is also synonymous with "boring" or "tedious".
2 amateurish: An "amateurish (film)" is one which is not professional or which appears to have been made by an amateur or an unskilled person. Susie says that Edward "wants to know why we're still using such an old-fashioned, amateurish design."
3 weak: "Weak" is the opposite of strong, and describes an absence of energy, strength, power, or ability. Bruno describe the logo's allusion to his grandfather as "weak", meaning that the reference to his grandfather isn't very strong.
Exercise 3
Fill in the blanks with the following adjectives that were used in the audio. No term is used more than once, and not all terms are used!
weak | old-fashioned | amateurish | dull | bored | aged
This describes something which is not bright, clear or interesting: "The red in this painting was very bright, it has now lost its colour and looks faded and ."
This describes something which is not professional or has been made by an unskilled person: "This book was written by someone who doesn't know the genre, it's an piece of work."
This describes something which is fragile or lacks strength or power: "We found a link in our virus protection software."
weak | old-fashioned | amateurish | dull | bored | aged
This describes something which is not bright, clear or interesting: "The red in this painting was very bright, it has now lost its colour and looks faded and ."
This describes something which is not professional or has been made by an unskilled person: "This book was written by someone who doesn't know the genre, it's an piece of work."
This describes something which is fragile or lacks strength or power: "We found a link in our virus protection software."
Fill in the blanks with the following adjectives that were used in the audio. No term is used more than once, and not all terms are used!
weak | old-fashioned | amateurish | dull | bored | aged
This describes something which is not bright, clear or interesting: "The red in this painting was very bright, it has now lost its colour and looks faded and dull 1."
This describes something which is not professional or has been made by an unskilled person: "This book was written by someone who doesn't know the genre, it's an amateurish 2 piece of work."
This describes something which is fragile or lacks strength or power: "We found a weak 3 link in our virus protection software."
weak | old-fashioned | amateurish | dull | bored | aged
This describes something which is not bright, clear or interesting: "The red in this painting was very bright, it has now lost its colour and looks faded and dull 1."
This describes something which is not professional or has been made by an unskilled person: "This book was written by someone who doesn't know the genre, it's an amateurish 2 piece of work."
This describes something which is fragile or lacks strength or power: "We found a weak 3 link in our virus protection software."
1 dull: Bruno says that the typeface looks "faded and dull". "Faded" shares a similar meaning with "dull". Both adjectives describe something which has lost its colour or brilliance. Example: My t-shirt is faded and dull, it used to be bright red, now it's pale pink. "Dull" also describes something that is lacking in liveliness or animation and is also synonymous with "boring" or "tedious".
2 amateurish: An "amateurish (film)" is one which is not professional or which appears to have been made by an amateur or an unskilled person. Susie says that Edward "wants to know why we're still using such an old-fashioned, amateurish design."
3 weak: "Weak" is the opposite of strong, and describes an absence of energy, strength, power, or ability. Bruno describe the logo's allusion to his grandfather as "weak", meaning that the reference to his grandfather isn't very strong.
Still unsure of the best way to use 'Amateur'? Improve your English thanks to our online English lessons. We offer a free test as well as a free level assessment!
What our users say:
Test your English with Gymglish today and get a free level assessment
Absolutely free - no strings attached.
