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Neophyte is hardly a new addition to the English language—it's been part of the English vocabulary since the 14th century. It traces back through Late Latin to the Greek word neophytos, meaning "newly planted" or "newly converted." These Greek and Latin roots were directly transplanted into the early English uses of neophyte, which first referred to a person newly converted to a religion or cause. By the 1600s, neophyte had gained a more general sense of "a beginner or novice." Today you might consider it a formal elder sibling of such recent informal coinages as newbie and noob.
Examples of neophyte in a Sentence
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 June 2025
The multi-use trail has a series of loops (3K, 5K, 10K, and 25K) that includes cross-country options through the hardwood forests for both serious mountain bikers and neophytes alike.
—Ryan Krogh, Outside Online, 3 June 2025
In large part, that’s a necessary evil of a film that has to explain how placing, safety cars, and tire grades work to an audience of neophytes in real-time.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 17 June 2025
Among the reasons for Burks’ playing time this past season was the considerable drop-off in the play of Jaquez, the injuries that limited Nikola Jovic, the lack of complete trust in neophytes such as Pelle Larsson.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for neophyte
Cite this Entry
“Neophyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neophyte. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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neophyte
noun
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