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
To avoid issues arising from inexpert handling, she adds: "Of course, being a doctor, I would always advise the procedure to be conducted in clinics by medical practitioners."
From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2021
First, in my inexpert opinion, schools—if they open—are going to close again.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2020
From the rear, where he always sat, having read somewhere that the seat next to the driver was the most dangerous, he watched his mother’s wild and inexpert shifting with disapproval.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
