Meaning & use
professionalism
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Meanings
noununcountableapproving
Skilled, reliable and courteous behavior in a job, including being prepared, honest and respectful toward others.
Grammar: No plural and usually no article: she showed great professionalism.
Patterns
- show professionalism
- professionalism in something
The nurse handled the emergency with calm professionalism.
Arriving on time and answering emails promptly is part of professionalism.
Customers praised the team's professionalism.
noununcountable
The standards, ethics and expertise that members of a trained occupation are expected to keep.
Grammar: Refers to a group's code of standards rather than one person's manner.
Patterns
- professionalism of something
Teachers discussed the professionalism of their field at the conference.
The medical board stresses ethical professionalism.
Lawyers are trained in professionalism as well as law.
noununcountablesport
The practice of taking part in a sport or activity as a paid job rather than as an amateur.
Grammar: Often contrasted with amateurism.
The rise of professionalism changed rugby in the 1990s.
Critics feared professionalism would weaken the Olympic spirit.
Her professionalism began when she signed her first contract.
Common combinations
- show professionalism
- He showed professionalism by staying calm with the angry client.
- a high level of professionalism
- The staff maintain a high level of professionalism.
- lack of professionalism
- Being late again showed a lack of professionalism.
- demonstrate professionalism
- Interns must demonstrate professionalism in meetings.
- act with professionalism
- She acted with professionalism despite the criticism.
Synonyms and how they differ
- competence
- Competence covers skill alone, while professionalism also includes manner and ethics.
- expertise
- Expertise means deep knowledge, whereas professionalism concerns how you behave at work.
- conscientiousness
- Conscientiousness describes careful, diligent character, a narrower trait than overall professionalism.
Opposites
Word family
- professional adjective
- relating to a skilled job or done to a high standard
- profession noun
- an occupation requiring training
- professionally adverb
- in a manner suited to a job
- unprofessional adjective
- not meeting the standards expected at work
- professionalize verb
- to make something more professional
Commonly confused: professionalism or profession?
professionalism vs profession
Profession is the occupation itself, such as medicine, while professionalism is the standard of conduct within it.
Practice
The receptionist dealt with the rude caller politely and never raised her voice. This showed her ______.
Choose one answer.
Professionalism is the noun for courteous, competent conduct. Profession is an occupation, and proficiently is an adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “professionalism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.