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Synonyms

experienced

American  
[ik-speer-ee-uhnst] / ɪkˈspɪər i ənst /

adjective

  1. wise or skillful in a particular field through experience.

    an experienced teacher.
    Synonyms:
    qualified, adept, versed, accomplished, veteran, practiced, expert, skilled

  2. having learned through experience; taught by experience.

    experienced through adversity.

  3. endured; undergone; suffered through.

    experienced misfortunes.
experienced British  
/ ɪkˈspɪərɪənst /

adjective

  1. having become skilful or knowledgeable from extensive contact or participation or observation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of experienced

First recorded in 1560–70; experience + -ed 2

Explanation

Someone experienced has first-hand knowledge of something. A 10-year veteran is an experienced baseball player. Experience is time you spend doing or learning something. If you've had a job as a welder, you have welding experience. When someone is described as experienced, it means they have first-hand knowledge about something. An experienced teacher has been teaching for years. An experienced writer has written many books or articles. An experienced soldier has been in the field for a while. People who are experienced tend to be wise: they know what they're talking about.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Experienced cash-pay patients said it isn’t easy to pinpoint prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

Experienced negotiators might have tried to use this insistence as the basis for demanding other compromises.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

Experienced budget-makers establish a baseline by looking back two or three years and analyzing their overall spending, said John Ryan, a certified financial planner in Charlotte, N.C.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025

Experienced staff have been lost with headcount reductions of 15% to 20%.

From Barron's • Dec. 11, 2025

Experienced continuously in public and private, Catholicism shaped my whole day.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.