Novice

/ˈnɒvɪs/

nounBeginner📊CommonRole
1 meaning3 questions

Definitions

1

A person who is new to the circumstances, work, or profession that they are involved in.

/ˈnɒvɪs/

nounneutralBeginner
Role

A person new to or inexperienced in a field or situation.

As a novice, she was eager to learn from the more experienced members of the team.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're trying something new, like cooking or playing a new game. A novice is someone who's just starting out and doesn't know a lot yet. Like, "I'm a novice at skateboarding, so I'm not very good yet."

👶 For kids: Someone who is just learning to do something.

More Examples

2

He's a complete novice when it comes to using this software.

3

The training program is designed for both experienced professionals and novices in the field.

How It's Used

General

"He's a novice when it comes to coding."

Sports

"The competition was open to both experienced players and novices."

Synonyms & Antonyms

From Middle French *novice*, from Medieval Latin *novicius* ('new, young'), from Latin *novus* ('new').

Used since the late 14th century, originally referring to a person entering a religious order.

Memory tip

Think of a 'new visit' (novice) to a place or activity.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"new"

complete noviceabsolute novicetotal noviceinexperienced novicenovice programmernovice driver

Common misspellings

novisenovis

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written