1
as in technical
having or showing trained ability in a particular field of knowledge
Many of the applicants lacked the professional experience the job required. She had always dreamed of becoming a professional boxer.
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2
as in civil
in a serious and polite manner
She found his presentation informative and his delivery quite professional. Employees were expected to act in a professional manner when dealing with potential customers.
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as in specialist
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
If you want the job done right, you really should hire a professional.
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of professional
D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Identify training hospitals, medical schools and professional associations in your region.
—Kiyoshi Oka, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
After hundreds of actors, directors and other industry professionals signed a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions, Paramount is voicing its dissent.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for professional
Adjective
Faulí joined the Sagrada Família as a junior architect in 1990, and has spent his whole professional life working on the church.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Identify training hospitals, medical schools and professional associations in your region.
—Kiyoshi Oka, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
His proposal to remove all vaccine mandates in Florida has been criticized by medical professionals and politicians on both sides of the aisle.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
After hundreds of actors, directors and other industry professionals signed a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions, Paramount is voicing its dissent.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for professional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for professional
Adjective
-
This backdrop could help the technical conditions mature and allow these two patterns to resolve to the upside.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
-
An 11-member professional diving team operated under challenging conditions, including strong currents, low visibility, and the technical demands of deep diving.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The agreements include a new science and technology partnership, civil nuclear cooperation and defense technology initiatives.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Trump has repeatedly complained about James, who pursued a civil fraud case against him that resulted in a half-billion-dollar penalty.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Relph has been the arts center's arts learning specialist since its founding.—
Carin Schoppmeyer,
Arkansas Online,
21 Sep. 2025
-
But the new acreage connects directly to pieces of existing preserve near the center, which helps flora and fauna thrive, according to Vince Garmon, a land protection specialist with TNC.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Most of the major generic LLMs do, and there are specialized LLMs that provide such a service as their core competency.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Those phones, however, needed specialized antennas to connect to dedicated satellite communications frequencies.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Microsoft sold its entire stake in Apple six years later, netting a very respectable return.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The Tigers are no slouch in the American Conference and have respectable College Football Playoff aspirations.—
Sam Sklar,
Mississippi Clarion Ledger,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Someone who’s ready to commit, ready to grind it out and face the issues no consultant or broker would readily admit during the investigative process.—
Rob Lancit,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Kashyap is professor at the Chicago Booth Business School and a consultant to the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Magnificent Seven are also skilled innovators, Cramer continued.—
Julie Coleman,
CNBC,
15 Sep. 2025
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According to a McKinsey Digital survey, 60% of companies agree that the lack of skilled IT professionals is the primary barrier to deploying complex technologies.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As the subject of Materialists, Lucy’s coolness evolves from a businesslike need to maintain control over a situation.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
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And how would the famously gruff and businesslike Belichick work with nineteen-year-olds?—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Professional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professional. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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