greenhorn
Americannoun
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an untrained or inexperienced person.
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a naive or gullible person; someone who is easily tricked or swindled.
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Slang. a newly arrived immigrant; newcomer.
noun
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an inexperienced person, esp one who is extremely gullible
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a newcomer or immigrant
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of greenhorn
1425–75; late Middle English; see green, horn; originally applied to cattle with green (i.e., young) horns
Vocabulary lists containing greenhorn
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.
By the time Jacob turned 2, Tony had put a ball in his son’s hands and was watching his greenhorn grow.
From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2021
They did not include Haotong Li, the 25-year-old second-round leader, but Li did refrain from the kind of free fall many would have projected from a greenhorn.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 8, 2020
Wily bank robber Wesley Snipes taunts a familiar-looking rough-and-ready cop while greenhorn Ryan Phillippe delivers a TED talk on chaos theory in this listless would-be thriller.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 25, 2019
Instead, it was McIlroy that looked like the greenhorn.
From Golf Digest ● May 5, 2019
"I don't have an extra pen," I whispered, complete sentences for whispers, that's what tells you I was still a greenhorn in this culture.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
