novice

American  

[nov-is] / ˈnɒv ɪs /

noun

1. a person who is new to the circumstances, work, etc., in which they are placed; beginner; tyro.

   The new senator was a novice in politics.

   Synonyms:

   newcomer, neophyte, greenhorn, beginner

2. a person who has been received into a religious order or congregation for a period of probation before taking vows.

   Synonyms:

   neophyte

3. a person newly become a church member.

4. a recent convert to Christianity.

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novice British  

/ ˈnɒvɪs /

noun

1. 1. a person who is new to or inexperienced in a certain task, situation, etc; beginner; tyro

   2. ( as modifier )

      novice driver

2. a probationer in a religious order

3. a sportsman, esp an oarsman, who has not won a recognized prize, performed to an established level, etc

4. a racehorse, esp a steeplechaser or hurdler, that has not won a specified number of races

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Other Word Forms

• novicehood noun
• novicelike adjective

Etymology

Origin of novice

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English novyce, from Middle French novice, from Medieval Latin novītius “convent novice,” variant of Latin novīcius “newly come into a particular status,” derivative of novus new. See -itious

Example Sentences

But Aziz is not a novice in the media business.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

While falls from ski lifts are rare, the possibility weighs heavily on the psyches of many novice skiers and snowboarders.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

No novice to war zones, Danchenkova has been visiting Ukraine every summer since the full-scale Russian invasion of 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

All that in addition to her work with Atoy Wilson, a former U.S. novice champion, on the Mabel Fairbanks biopic, tentatively titled “Black Ice: The Mabel Fairbanks Story.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

I was delivered to this mission deep in the jungle, where, amidst the careful neutrality of the sisters, a rumpled novice named Soeur Liselin might pass a few months unnoticed.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• beginner
• learner
• neophyte
• newcomer
• pupil
• trainee