noun
1.
one having a marked and usually informed taste or liking for something
an amateur of fine fabrics
Synonyms: admirer, devotee, fan, fancier, votary
Related Word: crank, enthusiast, faddist, infatuate, ||nut, zealot; aesthete, cognoscente, connoisseur, dilettante; illuminato, illuminist
Contrasted words: abecedarian, dabbler, tyro; adept, expert
2.
one who follows a pursuit without attaining mastery or professional status
a nation handicapped by amateurs in high office
Synonyms: abecedarian, dabbler, dilettante, nonprofessional, smatterer, tyro, uninitiate
Related Word: beginner, greenhorn, neophyte; apprentice, novice, probationer; potterer, putterer, tinker
Contrasted words: adept, virtuoso, wizard
Antonyms: expert, master; professional