paraprofessional

noun

para·​pro·​fes·​sion·​al ˌper-ə--prə-ˈfesh-nəl 

-ˈfe-shə-nᵊl,

ˌpa-rə-

: a trained aide who assists a professional person (such as a teacher or doctor)

paraprofessional adjective

Examples of paraprofessional in a Sentence

There is at least one paraprofessional in each classroom.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tracy Smith was hired as a secondary paraprofessional. —Amy Wilde, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025

Gavin worked at the Roland Hayes School in Brookline as a paraprofessional in 2020, from January through August of that year, police said in a release. —Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2025

Children, alas, are weak and wasteful by nature, to say nothing of a child who needs a wheelchair, a hearing aid, or a paraprofessional. —Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2025

There are close to 1,600 vacancies for paraprofessionals, a member survey found — which the union blamed on low wages, resulting in challenges with hiring and retention. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for paraprofessional

• interprofessional
• semiprofessional
• compressional
• concessional
• confessional
• congressional
• obsessional
• processional
• professional
• recessional
• successional
• nonprofessional

Kids Definition

paraprofessional

noun

para·​pro·​fes·​sion·​al ˌpar-ə-prə-ˈfesh-nəl 

-ən-ᵊl

: a person trained to assist a professional person (as a teacher or doctor)

paraprofessional adjective

Medical Definition

paraprofessional

noun

para·​pro·​fes·​sion·​al -prə-ˈfesh-nəl, -ən-ᵊl 

: a trained aide who assists a professional person (as a doctor)

paraprofessional adjective