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Competent vs Amateur - What's the difference?

competent | amateur |

As adjectives the difference between competent and amateur

is that competent is having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications while amateur is non-professional.

As a noun amateur is

a lover {{term|of}} something.

competent

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications.
    • He is a competent skier and an expert snowboarder.
  • (legal) Having jurisdiction or authority over a particular issue or question.
    • For any disagreements arising from this contract, the competent court shall be the Springfield Circuit Court.
    judicial authority having competent jurisdiction
  • Adequate for the purpose
  • * 1662 , , Book II, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 67:
    • "For if [birds] had been Viviparous , the burthen of their womb, if they had brought forth any competent number at a time, had been so big and heavy, that their wings would have failed them "

    Quotations

    * "I believe in that myself because it has been explained by competent men as the convolutions of the grey matter." - James Joyce, Ulysses , 1922 * "That as a competent keyless citizen he had proceeded energetically from the unknown to the known through the incertitude of the void." - James Joyce, Ulysses , 1922

    Related terms

    * competence * compete * competition * competentness

    amateur

    English

    (wikipedia amateur)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A lover (of) something.
  • * 2006 , John Hailman, Thomas Jefferson on Wine , University of Mississippi 2006, p. x:
    • he conducted extensive correspondence on wines with European suppliers, employing a wine vocabulary familiar to any modern amateur of wines.
  • A person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science as to music or painting; especially one who cultivates any study or art, from taste or attachment, without pursuing it professionally.
    • She is an accomplished amateur woodworker.
  • Someone who is unqualified or insufficiently skillful.
    • The entire thing was built by some amateurs with screwdrivers and plywood.

    Derived terms

    * radio amateur

    Synonyms

    * dilettante * bungler

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Non-professional.
  • Created, done, or populated by amateurs or non-professionals.
    • amateur sports
  • Showing a lack of professionalism, experience or talent.
    • Duct tape is a sure sign of amateur workmanship.

    Derived terms

    * amateur hour * amateur night

    External links

    * * ----