professional

adj. pertaining to a profession, of a skilled occupation; working in one of the skilled occupations

n. person who works in a skilled occupation, specialist

This article is about people called professionals. For the movie, see The Professionals or Leon. For the TV series, see The Professionals. A professional can be either a person in a profession (certain types of skilled work requiring formal training/education) or in sports (a sportsman/sportwoman doing sports for payment). Sometimes it is also used to indicate a special level of quality of goods or tools, sometimes also called "commercial grade".
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Noun
1. a person engaged in one of the learned professions
(synonym) professional person
(hypernym) adult, grownup
(hyponym) careerist
(member-holonym) professional organization, professional organisation
2. an athlete who plays for pay
(synonym) pro
(antonym) amateur
(hypernym) athlete, jock
(hyponym) free agent
3. an authority qualified to teach apprentices
(synonym) master
(hypernym) authority
(hyponym) past master
Adjective
1. engaged in a profession or engaging in as a profession or means of livelihood; "the professional man or woman possesses distinctive qualifications"; "began her professional career after the Olympics"; "professional theater"; "professional football"; "a professional cook"; "professional actors and athletes"
(antonym) nonprofessional
(similar) nonrecreational, paid
2. of or relating to or suitable as a profession; "professional organizations"; "a professional field such as law"
(pertainym) profession, community
3. characteristic of or befitting a profession or one engaged in a profession; "professional conduct"; "professional ethics"; "a thoroughly professional performance"
(antonym) unprofessional
4. of or relating to a profession; "we need professional advice"; "professional training"; "professional equipment for his new office"
(pertainym) profession
5. engaged in by members of a profession; "professional occupations include medicine and the law and teaching"
(similar) white-collar

(n.)
A person who prosecutes anything professionally, or for a livelihood, and not in the character of an amateur; a professional worker.
  

(a.)
Of or pertaining to a profession, or calling; conforming to the rules or standards of a profession; following a profession; as, professional knowledge; professional conduct.
  

(a.)
Engaged in by professionals; as, a professional race; -- opposed to amateur.
  

A business that supplies management and administrative services with regard to human resource responsibilities for employers; serves as the co-employer of the client’s employees for payroll, benefits, and related purposes; referred to as employee leasing companies in the SIC manual