zawodowy

Zawodowy is a Polish adjective that denotes relation to a profession, occupation, or paid activity. It can describe something intended for professional use, or something performed as a paid occupation. The word derives from the noun zawód (profession, trade) and the adjectival suffix -owy, producing forms that agree with the noun they modify.

Common uses of zawodowy appear across education, sport, and industry. In education, terms such as edukacja zawodowa and szkoła zawodowa describe vocational education and institutions that prepare students for specific trades. In sport and industry, phrases like sport zawodowy or sprzęt zawodowy distinguish professional-level activity and equipment from amateur equivalents. In a regulatory or legal context, phrases such as prawo do wykonywania zawodu (the right to practice a profession) or zawodowe kwalifikacje (professional qualifications) highlight formal aspects of professional life.

Zawodowy also serves as a contrast to amatorski (amateur) in everyday language, signaling expertise, standards, or licensing associated with a given field. The adjective changes form to agree with different nouns, with feminine (zawodowa) and neuter (zawodowe) variants used in corresponding grammatical contexts.

Related terms include zawód (profession), zawodowiec (a professional person, especially in certain fields), and edukacja zawodowa (vocational education). Overall, zawodowy functions as a versatile descriptor for activities, objects, and institutions tied to paid professional practice.