neophyte

[nee-uh-fahyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR neophyte ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a beginner or novice: He's a neophyte at chess.

Roman Catholic Church. a novice.

a person newly converted to a belief, as a heathen, heretic, or nonbeliever; proselyte.

Primitive Church. a person newly baptized.

Nearby words

Origin of neophyte

1540–50; < Late Latin neophytus newly planted < Greek neóphytos. See neo-, -phyte

SYNONYMS FOR neophyte

1. greenhorn, tyro.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR neophyte ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsne·o·phyt·ic

[nee-uh-fit-ik] /ˌni əˈfɪt ɪk/, ne·o·phyt·ish

[nee-uh-fahy-tish] /ˈni əˌfaɪ tɪʃ/, adjectivene·o·phyt·ism

[nee-uh-fahy-tiz-uhm] /ˈni ə faɪˌtɪz əm/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for neophyte

For the aficionado or the neophyte, Comics is a useful overview of a richly creative period in a burgeoning art.
The Best Coffee Table Books of 2014|Robert Birnbaum|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The other thing the film got wrong was the premise that David was a neophyte, better suited for interviewing the Bee Gees.
The Private David Frost|John M. Florescu|September 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
All the hullabaloo confused the neophyte rockers, who had only been a band for two years and were searching for their own voice.
Cold War Kids on Faith, Hipster Detractors & Their Musical Evolution|Marlow Stern|April 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Wallin did not seem to be a neophyte in the ways of narcotics peddling.
Monsignor Meth Kevin Wallin: The Kinky Priest Who Sold Meth|Michael Daly|January 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It demonstrated to the neophyte publisher the importance a strong broadband presence can have for a burgeoning brand.
‘Treats!’: High Fashion’s Sexy New Magazine Takes Off|Chris Lee|January 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The teacher, however, snared the cadet in a neo-judo hold that no neophyte, however skilled or strong could break.
Man of Many Minds|E. Everett Evans
This seasonable interposition silenced the accuser; but it was long before the neophyte could venture to appear at the club.
The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, Vol. 2 (of 4)|Thomas Babington Macaulay
More than ever she felt herself a neophyte in the social universe; she knew neither its creed nor its ritual.
Good References|E. J. Rath
Vastly to her surprise and gratification, the neophyte arose on the following morning without severe symptoms of lameness.
Wanted: A Husband|Samuel Hopkins Adams
This, surely, is a degree of faith not absolutely necessary for the neophyte in science.
Practical Education, Volume II|Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for neophyte

neophyte

noun

a person newly converted to a religious faith

RC Church a novice in a religious order

a novice or beginner

Derived Formsneophytic (ˌniːəʊˈfɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for neophyte

C16: via Church Latin from New Testament Greek neophutos recently planted, from neos new + phuton a plant

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

Word Origin and History for neophyte

neophyte

"new convert," 1550s, from Ecclesiastical Latin neophytus, from Greek neophytos "a new convert," noun use of adjective meaning "newly initiated, newly converted," literally "newly planted," from neos "new" (see new) + phytos "grown; planted," verbal adjective of phyein "cause to grow, beget, plant" (see physic). Church sense is from I Tim. iii:6. Rare before 19c. General sense of "one who is new to any subject" is first recorded 1590s.