professional
English · Thesaurus
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professional
- /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ə.nəl/ Canada, US, UK
- [pɹəˈfɛʃ.nəl] Canada, US, UK
- /pɹəˈfeʃ.ə.nəl/ Australia, New Zealand
- [pɹəˈfeʃ.nəl] Australia, New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Middle English professhennalle, professhynalle; equivalent to profession + -al.
noun professionals
- A person who belongs to a profession.
- 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.
- 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 fa
- A prostitute. There was this nice lady who flirted with me at the bar, but it turned out that she was a professional.
- A reputation known by name.
- 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.
- One of four categories of sociologist propounded by Horowitz: a sociologist who is actively concerned with promoting the profession of sociology.
adjective more professional · most professional
- Of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the (usually high) standards of a profession. The doctor is very professional in his manner.
- Expert.
-
Of an occupation, paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood.
a professional musician, a professional footballer
Opposite: amateur
- 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.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: master, paid, white-collar, expert, professed, pro, nonrecreational, professional person, vocation, vocational, professionalism, professionalization, occupational, career, trained, on-the-job
Translations
Every language
noun person who belongs to a profession
| Español | profesional, profesionista |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 프로페셔널 peuropesyeoneol, 프로 peuro |
| 日本語 | プロフェッショナル purofesshonaru, プロ puro |
| 中文 | 專業人士 /专业人士 zhuānyè rénshì |
| Português | profissional |
| Deutsch | Fachkraft, professionell |
| Italiano | professionista |
| Ελληνικά | επαγγελματίας epangelmatías |
| Română | profesionist |
| Русский | профессиона́л professionál, профессиона́лка professionálka |
noun person who earns their living from a specified activity
| Español | profesional, profesionista |
|---|---|
| Português | profissional |
| Deutsch | Profi, Professioneller, Professionelle |
| Ελληνικά | επαγγελματίας epangelmatías |
| Русский | профессиона́л professionál, профессиона́лка professionálka |
| العربية | مُحْتَرِف muḥtarif, مُحْتَرِفَة muḥtarifa |
noun expert
| 한국어 | 프로페셔널 peuropesyeoneol, 프로 peuro, 전문가 jeonmun'ga |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | プロフェッショナル purofesshonaru, プロ puro, 専門家 senmonka |
| 中文 | 專家 /专家 zhuānjiā |
| Português | profissional |
| Français | professionnel, professionnelle |
| Deutsch | Profi |
| Ελληνικά | επαγγελματίας epangelmatías, επιτηδευματίας epitidevmatías |
| Русский | профессиона́л professionál, профессиона́лка professionálka, специали́ст specialíst, специали́стка specialístka, экспе́рт ekspért |
adj of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the standards of a profession
| Español | profesional, en el entorno laboral |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 專業 /专业 zhuānyè |
| Português | profissional |
| Français | professionnel |
| Deutsch | professionell, Berufs- |
| Italiano | professionale |
| Ελληνικά | επαγγελματικός epangelmatikós |
| Română | profesional |
| Русский | профессиона́льный professionálʹnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | chuyên nghiệp |
adj expert
| Português | profissional |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | professionell |
| Italiano | specializzato, qualificato |
| Română | profesional |
| Русский | профессиона́льный professionálʹnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | chuyên gia |
adj paid, especially so as to provide a livelihood
| Español | profesional |
|---|---|
| Português | profissional |
| Deutsch | berufsmäßig, professionell |
| Ελληνικά | επαγγελματικός epangelmatikós |
| Română | profesional, profesionist |
| Русский | профессиона́льный professionálʹnyj |
Talk about this word "professional." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/professional. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. professional. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/professional "professional." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/professional.Cite this
@misc{professional_2026,
title = {professional},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/professional},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
