Meaning & use
professional
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounbusiness
Relating to a job or occupation that requires special education, training, or qualification.
Grammar: Usually comes before the noun: “professional training”; compare “a professional” as a noun.
Patterns
- professional training
- professional qualifications
- professional standards
The course leads to a professional qualification in accounting.
All staff must follow professional safety standards.
adjectivebefore a noun
Done in a skilled, serious, and responsible way.
Grammar: Describes work or behavior: “a professional job”; differs from merely “well-paid.”
Patterns
- a professional approach
- professional work
- professional service
The repair was quick, clean, and professional.
We expect a professional approach from every volunteer.
adjectivebefore a noun
Engaged in an activity as a paid job rather than as a hobby.
Grammar: Forms the contrast “professional vs. amateur” in sports and arts.
Patterns
- professional athlete
- professional musician
- professional photographer
She became a professional photographer after years of practice.
He played professional baseball for three seasons.
nouncountable
A person who works in a field requiring special training, or who is paid for an activity others do for pleasure.
Grammar: Plural is “professionals”; can also contrast with “amateur.”
Patterns
- a health professional
- a true professional
- hire a professional
A financial professional reviewed our budget.
For electrical work, hire a licensed professional.
Word forms
| plural | professionals |
|---|
Common combinations
- professional development
- Teachers attend workshops for professional development.
- professional qualifications
- The job asks for professional qualifications in engineering.
- professional standards
- The board investigates violations of professional standards.
- act professional
- Even when tired, try to act professional with clients.
Synonyms and how they differ
- occupational
- Formal adjective meaning related to a job; less common in everyday speech.
- vocational
- Refers specifically to training for a trade or practical career.
- expert
- Describes high skill, not necessarily paid status or formal qualifications.
- amateur
- Opposite sense: someone unpaid or less experienced; not a synonym.
Opposites
Word family
- profession noun
- A job requiring advanced training or study.
- professionally adverb
- In a professional manner or as a paid job.
- professionalism noun
- The quality of behaving competently and responsibly at work.
Commonly confused: professional or professor?
professional vs professor
A professor is a university teacher; “professional” can be an adjective for any trained occupation or a noun for a paid specialist.
Practice
Which phrase best completes the sentence: “For the wedding, they hired ___.”
Choose one answer.
You hire a person, so “a professional photographer” fits. Option 1 names an object, option 3 breaks the article/noun structure, and option 4 is a noun meaning a quality.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “professional”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.