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Synonyms

inexperience

American  
[in-ik-speer-ee-uhns] / ˌɪn ɪkˈspɪər i əns /

noun

  1. lack of experience.

  2. lack of knowledge, skill, or wisdom gained from experience.


inexperience British  
/ ˌɪnɪkˈspɪərɪəns /

noun

  1. lack of experience or of the knowledge and understanding derived from experience

"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 inexperience

From the Late Latin word inexperientia, dating back to 1590–1600. See in- 3, experience

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.

See Examples For:

Polls currently indicate that he too would be favourite in the elections – but his youth and inexperience could start to tell once campaigning gets underway.

From BBC Jul. 4, 2026

Schlossberg’s inexperience and total lack of punctiliousness would make him a horrible candidate for mayor, president, governor, even comptroller.

From Slate Jun. 18, 2026

But their inexperience became apparent when they barely survived a jittery ending to beat Iran 1-0 and advance to the knockout stage—and then slumped out with a 3-1 loss against the Netherlands.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 12, 2026

But the team’s youth and inexperience proved to be a strength, not a weakness.

From Los Angeles Times May 15, 2026

By the time I realized what I was doing and thought about my inexperience in this particular art, I was already at the top of the branches and plucking coconuts.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

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