inexperience

noun

in·​ex·​pe·​ri·​ence ˌi-nik-ˈspir-ē-ən(t)s 

1

: lack of practical experience

blamed the accident on driver inexperience

2

: lack of knowledge of the ways of the world

was concerned about their youth and inexperience

inexperienced

ˌi-nik-ˈspir-ē-ən(t)st 

adjective

Examples of inexperience in a Sentence

He blames his mistakes on inexperience.

Recent Examples on the Web

The aging Saints defense, though, hasn’t done enough to make up for the inexperience on offense. —Charlotte Observer, 14 Dec. 2025

The last time the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement resulted in the 2012 debacle with replacement referees, where multiple late-game decisions were bungled due to the inexperience of the substitutes. —Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

Golding’s inexperience as a head coach means the program’s floor is lower, but the resources still allow the ceiling to be high. —David Ubben, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2025

With the twin caveats of youth and inexperience, McCarthy has thus far failed to live up to the 10th overall pick with which the Vikings selected him. —Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Late Latin inexperientia, from Latin in- + experientia experience

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for inexperience

• experience

Kids Definition

inexperience

noun

in·​ex·​pe·​ri·​ence ˌin-ik-ˈspir-ē-ən(t)s 

: lack of experience

inexperienced

-ən(t)st 

adjective