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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

professional en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • [pɹəˈfɛʃ.nəl] (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ə.nəl/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /pɹəˈfeʃ.ə.nəl/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • [pɹəˈfeʃ.nəl] (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English professhennalle, professhynalle; equivalent to profession + -al.

Meanings

  1. Of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the (usually high) standards of a profession.
    • You should get professional advice about your tax liability.
    • The doctor is very professional in his manner.
    • His forefathers had been, as a rule, professional men—physicians and lawyers; his grandfather died under the walls of Chapultepec Castle while twisting a tourniquet for a cursing dragoon; an uncle remained indefinitely at Malvern Hill;[…]. 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter II, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
  2. (broadly) Expert.
  3. Of an occupation, paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood.
    • The little green men were clearly professional soldiers by their bearing, carried Russian weapons, and wore Russian combat fatigues, but they had no identifying insignia. Vladimir Putin originally denied they were Russian soldiers; that April, he confirmed they were. 2019 March 18, Steven Pifer, Five years after Crimea’s illegal annexation, the issue is no closer to resolution, The Center for International Security and Cooperation:
    • a professional musician, a professional footballer
  4. (often, pejorative) Engaging in persistent behaviour that is exaggeratedly implied to be a full-time, paid occupation.
    • Don't listen to him, he's a professional bullshitter.
    • As a professional optimist, I always look on the bright side.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more professional Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most professional Degree=Sup lexicographic

Antonyms

amateur

Deriveds

professional university · professional sport · preprofessional · professionalship · professionalism · transprofessional · extraprofessional · socioprofessional · professionalize · professional wrestling · monoprofessional · semiprofessional · multiprofessional · professional foul · unprofessional · professional support lawyer · professional wrestler · professional class · promateur · biprofessional · superprofessional · interprofessional · professionalisation · professionalness · paraprofessional · pseudo-professional · subprofessional · profersonal · professional secrecy · nonprofessional · semi-professional · certified safety professional · professionalese · antiprofessional · super professional · professionalish · promag · professional deformation · professional service · non-professional · professional suicide · legal professional privilege · ultraprofessional · professional victim · professionalist · pseudoprofessional · professionality · professional politician · professional engineer · intraprofessional · uniprofessional · super-professional · professional rescuers doctrine · professionally · prosumer · professional student

Translations (87)

cs profesionální (expert) · pt profissional (expert) · hu profi (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · fi ammattimainen (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · es en el entorno laboral (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · sk odborný (expert) · sk profesionálny (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · de berufsmäßig (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · es profesional (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · pt profissional (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · hy պրոֆեսիոնալ (expert) · sv professionell (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · da professionel (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · de professionell (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · fa حرفهای (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · sv professionell (expert) · nl professioneel (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · mi ngaio (expert) · cs profesionální (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · fi ammattitaitoinen (expert) · hu hivatásos (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · sv professionell (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · be прафесіянальны (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · ro profesional (expert) · de professionell (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · ga gairmiúil (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · it specializzato (expert) · hu profi (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · nb yrkesmessig (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · nl deskundig (expert) · el επαγγελματικός (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · de professionell (expert) · nb faglig (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · nb profesjonell (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · cs profesionální (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · hu szakmai (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · fi ammatillinen (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · el επαγγελματικός (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · fi ammattimainen (expert) · fr professionnel (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · mi mātanga (expert) · sk odborný (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · fa حرفهای (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · mi ngaio (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · mn мэргэжлийн (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · ca professional (expert) · ga gairmiúil (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · th มืออาชีพ (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · es profesional (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · hu professzionális (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · nb profesjonell (expert) · nn profesjonell (expert) · hy մասնագիտական (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · vi chuyên gia (expert) · nl beroeps- (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · nb profesjonell (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · ru профессиона́льный (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · hy արհեստավարժ (expert) · fi ammattimainen (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · nn yrkesmessig (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · hu hozzáértő (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · it professionale (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · cmn 專業 /专业 (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · ru профессиона́льный (expert) · de Berufs- (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · nn profesjonell (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · bg професионален (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · nn profesjonell (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · eo profesia (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · da professionel (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · vi chuyên nghiệp (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · mi whaiutu (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · uk професі́йний (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · ru профессиона́льный (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · nn fagleg (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · ro profesional (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · pt profissional (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · ro profesionist (paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood) · hu profi (expert) · it qualificato (expert) · hu szakszerű (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · sk profesionálny (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · pl profesjonalny (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · ca perit (expert) · ro profesional (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · az peşəkar (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession) · ca professional (of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession)

professional en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • [pɹəˈfɛʃ.nəl] (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ə.nəl/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /pɹəˈfeʃ.ə.nəl/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • [pɹəˈfeʃ.nəl] (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English professhennalle, professhynalle; equivalent to profession + -al.

Meanings

  1. A person who belongs to a profession.
  2. A white-collar worker, especially one with a specialized, high-earning job such as a doctor or engineer.
    • […]extra income earned this way is normally used for buying consumer goods, such as a cottage, car, boat, and so on, irrespective of whether the recipient is a professional or a tradesman. 1987 June 18, Alena Heitlinger, Reproduction, Medicine and the Socialist State, Springer, →ISBN, page 104:
    • They devised their own categories in which the working class formed a smaller proportion of the electorate: • I Salariat (managers, administrators, professionals, semi-professionals) 2014 June 3, Mark Garnett, Philip Lynch, Exploring British Politics, Routledge, →ISBN, page 517:
    • Russian immigrants had the highest percentage of professionals or managers (49 percent) 2017 February 23, Nina Michalikova, New Eastern European Immigrants in the United States, Springer, →ISBN, page 110:
  3. A person who earns their living from a specified activity.
    • My son, a Canada-based IT professional who often travels to Ukraine, told me about the exhilarating atmosphere on those Ukraine-bound trains, bringing home hundreds of the unwilling refugees, mostly women and children (including the babies, born in exile on the way to meet their Ukrainian fighter fathers for the first time). The difference between Ukrainian refugees and other reluctant exiles is that Ukrainians are desperate to return. 2024 September 4, Vitali Vitaliev, “A salute to Ukraine's 'Second Army'”, in RAIL, number 1017, page 49:
  4. (euphemistic) A prostitute.
    • There was this nice lady who flirted with me at the bar, but it turned out that she was a professional.
  5. A reputation known by name.
  6. An expert.
    • I have learned that there is a person attached to a golf club called a professional. Find out who fills that post at the Green Meadow Club; […] invite the professional, urgently, to dine with us this evening. 1934, Rex Stout, Fer-de-Lance, Bantam, published 1992, →ISBN, page 97:
  7. One of four categories of sociologist propounded by Horowitz: a sociologist who is actively concerned with promoting the profession of sociology.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
professionals Number=Plur lexicographic

Translations (127)

hu szakember (expert) · fi ekspertti (expert) · mi pūngaio (person who belongs to a profession) · sk odborníčka (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · pt profissional (expert) · pl profesjonalny (person who belongs to a profession) · ja プロ (expert) · ar مُحْتَرِفَة (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · az peşəkar (expert) · fi ammattimies (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · ko 전문가 (expert) · ru специали́ст (expert) · tl manunungkulan (person who belongs to a profession) · no profesjonell (person who belongs to a profession) · mi mātanga (person who belongs to a profession) · ru профессиона́л (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · nl professional (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · sk odborníčka (expert) · ru профессиона́лка (person who belongs to a profession) · ru специали́стка (expert) · fr professionnelle (expert) · ja プロフェッショナル (person who belongs to a profession) · de Fachkraft (person who belongs to a profession) · mi pūkenga (expert) · sv yrkesperson (person who belongs to a profession) · sv proffs (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · mn мэргэжлийн хүн (person who belongs to a profession) · sk odborníčka (person who belongs to a profession) · ms profesional (person who belongs to a profession) · mi pūngaio (expert) · hu szaki (expert) · nl beroeps (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · ja 専門家 (expert) · el επαγγελματίας (person who belongs to a profession) · sk odborník (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · bg професионалист (person who belongs to a profession) · de Profi (expert) · mi tūngaio (person who belongs to a profession) · arz محترفة (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · hu szakértő (expert) · hu profi (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · sk odborník (expert) · ru профессиона́лка (expert) · pl profesjonalista (expert) · ky кесипкөй (person who belongs to a profession) · pt profissional (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · ky кесипкөй (expert) · oc professional (person who belongs to a profession) · de Professioneller (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · ru профессиона́лка (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · arz محترف (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · ja プロ (person who belongs to a profession) · cs profesionál (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · pl zawodowiec (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · fi asiantuntija (expert) · uk професіональний (person who belongs to a profession) · uk професійний (person who belongs to a profession) · ja プロフェッショナル (expert) · mi mātanga (expert) · sv proffs (expert) · eo isto (person who belongs to a profession) · el επιτηδευματίας (expert) · ca professional (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · be прафесійны (person who belongs to a profession) · ca professional (expert) · sk profesionálka (person who belongs to a profession) · de professionell (person who belongs to a profession) · ko 프로페셔널 (person who belongs to a profession) · uk професіонал (person who belongs to a profession) · nl expert (expert) · pt profissional (person who belongs to a profession) · sk odborník (person who belongs to a profession) · sk profesionál (person who belongs to a profession) · el επαγγελματίας (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · ru экспе́рт (expert) · ar مُحْتَرِف (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · th มืออาชีพ (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · ro profesionist (person who belongs to a profession) · de Professionelle (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · es profesional (person who belongs to a profession) · cmn 專家 /专家 (expert) · az peşəkar (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · el επαγγελματίας (expert) · hu szakember (person who belongs to a profession) · fi ammattilainen (expert) · pl zawodowiec (expert) · ko 프로 (person who belongs to a profession) · es profesional (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · es profesionista (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · is fagmaður (person who belongs to a profession) · sk profesionál (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · be прафесіянал (person who belongs to a profession) · fi ammattilainen (person who belongs to a profession) · nl deskundige (expert) · ga gairmí (person who belongs to a profession) · ru профессиона́л (expert) · ko 프로 (expert) · fi ammattilainen (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · cmn 專業人士 /专业人士 (person who belongs to a profession) · bg специалист (expert) · ca professional (person who belongs to a profession) · az professional (person who belongs to a profession) · hy մասնագետ (person who belongs to a profession) · nl beroeps (person who belongs to a profession) · hu szaki (person who belongs to a profession) · de Profi (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · az peşəkar (person who belongs to a profession) · sv expert (expert) · it professionista (person who belongs to a profession) · mn мэргэжилтэн (expert) · gl profesional (person who belongs to a profession) · cs profesionál (expert) · ru профессиона́л (person who belongs to a profession) · fr professionnel (expert) · tl propesyonál (person who belongs to a profession) · hy մասնագետ (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · ko 프로페셔널 (expert) · th มืออาชีพ (person who belongs to a profession) · hu profi (expert) · es profesionista (person who belongs to a profession) · nl professional (person who belongs to a profession) · mn мэргэжилтэн (person who belongs to a profession) · hu professzionális (person who belongs to a profession) · sk profesionálka (person who earns their living from a specified activity) · cy proffesiynol (person who belongs to a profession) · hy մասնագետ (expert) · pl profesjonalista (person who earns their living from a specified activity)