inexpert
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inexpert
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word inexpertus. See in- 3, expert
Explanation
If you're inexpert at something, you haven't been taught to do it, and you can't do it very well. An inexpert painter might spatter paint all over your wood floors and furniture. Being inexpert at some activity means you don't have much practice doing it. It takes an inexpert knitter a lot longer to finish a hat than one with experience, and an inexpert driver is still learning the rules of the road. If you're an expert, you're a professional with skill and knowledge, from the Latin root word expertus, "tried, proved, or known by experience." When you add the "not" prefix in-, you get inexpert.
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.
Animal advocates are also concerned that these lions could be inbred as a result of poorly managed, inexpert breeding programs.
From National Geographic ● Aug. 8, 2023
That’s not surprising: Conspiracy theorists often aim to ply the inexpert masses with plausible-sounding but inaccurate legalisms in order to sow confusion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2021
So until I can get back there to visit, I'll raise a glass with my friends on this side of the continent, and replicate a Zuni meal in my own rushed and inexpert way.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2021
Her tutorials are geared toward more inexpert guitarists.
From New York Times ● May 15, 2020
For a moment, Harry thought that his inexpert Apparition had thrown Dumbledore off balance; then he saw his face, paler and damper than ever in the distant light of a streetlamp.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
