as in amateurishness
a lack of the level of skill associated with an expert or professional
the new defense secretary proceeded to criticize the amateurism of the nation's war effort up to that point
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Recent Examples of amateurism
Last summer’s House settlement, which permits schools to directly pay their athletes roughly $20 million this year across all sports, drove a final stake through the college amateurism model.
—
Justin Williams, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
What struck Rigby Assad wasn’t the amateurism of the inquiry but its internal logic.
—Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
The rise of name, image and likeness has transformed college athletics, intensifying debate over amateurism for student-athletes.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 27 Feb. 2026
For a long time, amateurism was the name of the game at the Olympics.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Inside athletic departments across the country, executives are coping with financial impacts driven by the death of amateurism in high-level college sports.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Arguments can be made that NIL has put the final nail in the coffin to eliminate amateurism in college sports, but truthfully, amateurism in college sports died some time ago as the NCAA, institutions and media profited off the athletes.
—Eddie Edwards Jr, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026
Jersey sales was probably one of the most egregious hypocrisies of the NCAA’s amateurism rule for student athletes, which stipulated that players were never to benefit financially from their name, image and likeness — even if others did.
—Andrea Williams, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
After years of defending/defining the concept of amateurism, a Supreme Court decision forced the NCAA to revoke its restrictions on athlete compensation.
—Nick Lomaglio, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Justin Williams, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
What struck Rigby Assad wasn’t the amateurism of the inquiry but its internal logic.
—Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
The rise of name, image and likeness has transformed college athletics, intensifying debate over amateurism for student-athletes.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 27 Feb. 2026
For a long time, amateurism was the name of the game at the Olympics.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Inside athletic departments across the country, executives are coping with financial impacts driven by the death of amateurism in high-level college sports.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Arguments can be made that NIL has put the final nail in the coffin to eliminate amateurism in college sports, but truthfully, amateurism in college sports died some time ago as the NCAA, institutions and media profited off the athletes.
—Eddie Edwards Jr, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026
Jersey sales was probably one of the most egregious hypocrisies of the NCAA’s amateurism rule for student athletes, which stipulated that players were never to benefit financially from their name, image and likeness — even if others did.
—Andrea Williams, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
After years of defending/defining the concept of amateurism, a Supreme Court decision forced the NCAA to revoke its restrictions on athlete compensation.
—Nick Lomaglio, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amateurism
Noun
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Their design was unpolished, even primitive, seemingly to convey a sense of slapdash amateurishness.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Experts say multinationals and foreign investors still want a share of India's consumption story — but the country's inability to create more white-collar jobs is undermining that narrative.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
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When their inability to compromise led to a government shutdown in 2011, Standard & Poor’s downgraded this country’s debt from AAA to AA for the first time in roughly a century.—
Stu Strumwasser,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amateurism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amateurism. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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