Among the ancient Romans, a novice (novicius) was usually a newly enslaved person, who had to be trained in his or her duties. Among Catholics and Buddhists, if you desire to become a priest, monk, or nun, you must serve as a novice for a period of time, often a year (called your novitiate), before being ordained or fully professing your vows. No matter what kind of novice you are—at computers, at writing, at politics, etc.—you've got a lot to learn.
Novices serve time as scullery serfs as they work toward the privilege of trailing a pastry chef …—Guy Trebay, New York Times, 4 Sept. 2002For the novice, walking the course also means being scared senseless by all the possibilities to screw up.—Tim Keown, ESPN, 17 Sept. 2001Yet it's obvious to him and everyone else who the novice is here, the book-learned tournament virgin.—James McManus, Harper's, December 2000Much defter than one would have thought possible from the length of her fingernails, Toula had no fear of high fast notes; her flair, mounted between Andrea's perfectionist reserve and Alice's novice awkwardness, seemed all too displayed.—John Updike, The Afterlife, 1994
He's a novice in cooking.
a book for the novice chess player
Recent Examples on the WebTo all his norm-shattering iterations—flashy businessman, name-brand showman, novice President—Trump has added a new title: felon.—Tessa Berenson Rogers, TIME, 30 May 2024 There are trails for every level, including novice riders.—Nora Colomer, Fox News, 23 May 2024 For regulators, lawmakers and election administrators, the incident underscored their disadvantages in dealing with even novice mischief makers, who can move more quickly and anonymously.—Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 23 May 2024 With its fixed prime lens and desirable film simulations, the X100V has become a TikTok sensation that has garnered lots of attention from novice and hobbyist camera users who might also want cool vintage-looking shooters.—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 23 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for novice
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'novice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, "probationer in a religious community" (continental Old French also, "inexperienced person"), borrowed from Late Latin novīcius, going back to Latin, "newly enslaved person, person recently entered into a condition," as adjective, "newly imported, recently discovered, fashionable," from novus "new" + -īcius-itious — more at new entry 1
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