amateurish

amateurish — adjective

1. made or carried out so poorly that the result feels like the work of an untraine

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

made or carried out so poorly that the result feels like the work of an untrained beginner rather than a paid expert; often used disapprovingly about something that was meant to look polished.

Example

Renata thought the wedding video looked amateurish, with shaky shots and bad lighting.

look + amateurish describing visible poor quality

The judges called Yara's first painting amateurish but praised her bold use of colour.

call + object + amateurish for critical judgement

Common collocations
  • look amateurish
  • sound amateurish
  • amateurish attempt
  • amateurish performance
  • amateurish effort
  • amateurish production
Synonyms
  • unprofessional

    broader; covers behaviour and ethics, not just skill quality

  • clumsy

    stresses awkward execution rather than lack of training

  • shoddy

    emphasises careless, low-quality work; often about goods

  • crude

    rough and unrefined, sometimes deliberately so

Antonyms
  • professional

    done with paid-expert skill and polish

  • polished

    smooth, finished, free of obvious flaws

  • skilful

    showing clear ability and training

Grammar Patterns

look / sound / seem + amateurish

amateurish + noun (attempt, performance, work)

Usage Note

Almost always disapproving. Subject is usually a piece of work, performance, or product — not a person directly; we say 'his writing is amateurish', rarely 'he is amateurish'. Distinguish from 'amateur' (adj./noun, neutral: 'an amateur photographer' simply means unpaid).

Common Mistakes

She is amateurish at piano.
Her piano playing sounds amateurish.
apply the word to the work or the result, not directly to the person.
He plays amateurish football on Sundays.
He plays amateur football on Sundays.
'amateur' (neutral, unpaid); 'amateurish' carries criticism.

Word family

  • amateur
    nounB2
  • amateur
    adjectiveB2
  • amateurism
    nounC2
  • amateurishly
    adverbC1
  • amateurishness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe work that falls short of expert standard, but they criticise different things. 'Amateurish' attacks the level of craft — the result looks like a hobbyist's, even when effort was clearly made. 'Unprofessional' is wider: it can mean poor skill, but more often points at behaviour, manner, or ethics, like missing deadlines or shouting at clients. 'Shoddy' focuses on careless construction and is common with physical goods, repairs, or research that was rushed. 'Clumsy' highlights awkward execution rather than missing training, and often forgives the doer ('a clumsy apology' may still be sincere). Compare: 'an amateurish website' (looks home-made), 'an unprofessional reply' (rude tone), 'shoddy stitching on the jacket' (falling apart), 'a clumsy joke' (well-meant but awkward).

amateurish ↗unprofessional ↗shoddyclumsy

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • rather amateurish
  • decidedly amateurish
  • somewhat amateurish
  • painfully amateurish

Phrases

  • look amateurish
  • sound amateurish
  • come across as amateurish
  • feel amateurish

Prepositions

  • amateurish in execution
  • amateurish in approach

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Built from 'amateur' plus the suffix '-ish'. 'Amateur' came into English in the late 1700s from French, where it meant 'a lover of' something, ultimately from Latin 'amator' (one who loves), from 'amare' (to love). At first an amateur was simply someone who did an activity for love rather than money, with no negative meaning. The '-ish' form appeared in the mid-1800s and quickly took on a critical tone, suggesting the look or feel of an unskilled hobbyist rather than the neutral status of being unpaid.