Unprofessionalize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove or diminish the professional qualities or standards from a person, role, or practice; to make something less formal or less aligned with established professional norms; to degrade the recognized expertise or credibility in a given field
2. To strip away the attributes or status associated with professionalism in a job or activity; to revert a specialized function or person to a less skilled or less competent state; to lessen the formal or official nature of conduct or work
3. To reduce the level of professionalism exhibited by an individual or within a profession; to transform a professional occupation into one lacking formal qualifications or discipline; to cause a cessation of recognized professional behavior or standards in a particular context

Etymology: "Unprofessionalize" is a plain English formation: the adjective "unprofessional" with the verb-forming suffix "-ize" added to its end. "Unprofessional" itself is built from "profess," which came into English from Latin "professus," the past participle of "profiteri," meaning to declare publicly. The sense of "unprofessional" as failing to meet the standards of one's trade or calling grew out of the older idea of a "profession" as a public vow or declared calling, so the word has been bound up with the notion of an open commitment to a set of standards. The suffix "-ize," borrowed through Latin and Greek ("-izein"), turns adjectives and nouns into verbs meaning to make or to become something. Attaching it to "unprofessional" yields a verb meaning to make a field, role, or setting less professional, or to strip it of its formal standards. The word is a transparent coinage rather than an old term, and its precise first date is not something this account can confirm.

Synonyms: deprofessionalize, downgrade, demote, devalue, degrade

Antonyms: professionalize, credential, qualify, certify, upgrade