FRESHMEN Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

freshmen

noun

plural of freshman

as in novices

a person who is just starting out in a field of activity our senator is just a freshman in Congress

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of freshmen The other underclassmen Hurley was referring to in the top nine would presumably be sophomore star Braylon Mullins and freshmen Colben Landrew and Junior County, who are both expected to make immediate contributions. — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026 Exactly 39 years after the debut of the iconic sitcom, a new sequel series hit Netflix on Thursday, blending a bunch of the beloved returning characters with a fresh class of freshmen. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026 Berrien’s defense, ranked 10th in Class 2A for points allowed per game, has five sophomores and two freshmen among its 12 leading tacklers. — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 24 Sep. 2026 In 2025, the University of California San Diego found that one in eight incoming freshmen at the school lacked necessary high school math skills. — Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 23 Sep. 2026 From there, look to a combination of sophomore Daylyn Upshaw, redshirt junior and Miami’s top three freshmen in Somourian Wingo, Milan Parris and Vance Spafford. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026 The senators, Roger Niello of Fair Oaks, Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh of Yucaipa and Steve Choi of Irvine, cited a UC San Diego faculty work group paper from last fall that found about 1 in 12 incoming freshmen tested below high school math standards. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 That includes freshmen who picked their colleges at least in part based on promises made by coaches. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 17 Sep. 2026 All Season 51 freshmen — Ben Marshall, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska — are back, as well as veterans Kenan Thompson, Michael Che, Colin Jost and Mikey Day. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for freshmen

Noun

Despite being an expert in her craft, Godshalk communicated the principles of floral design to her students in a way that was easy for novices to digest.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 19 Sep. 2026
At that time, people overtraded and treated the market like a casino, as novices began participating more frequently.

— David Capablanca, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of novices

Noun

Start with these six moves To put that approach into practice, Torres recommends these six exercises, which can be adapted for beginners and experienced lifters alike.

— Olivia LaBorde, AJC.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Playa Guiones is one of the most consistent beach breaks on the planet, and there are dozens of surf schools, camps, and a variety of waves for beginners to experts.

— Brent Rose, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of beginners

Noun

Miami played 11 rookies in last week’s opening loss in Vegas for a combined total of 436 snaps — the most snaps by rookies for any team in a Week 1 since at least 2006, when that statistic was first tracked by Sportradar.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
Impressive rookies — especially on defense How good were the Kansas City Chiefs’ rookies against the Broncos?

— Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of rookies

Noun

Beyond laboratory research, US officials intend to use the equipment as a training ground for apprentices and university recruits, helping train the next generation of weapons-control specialists.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
The bank did not disclose how many apprentices will be placed in Charlotte or other regions.

— Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of apprentices

Noun

The Ascenders were listed with 27 players rated as three-star recruits or higher coming into the season.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
These kinds of appeals have historically been successful in attracting the diverse recruits – women and people of color – who have been critical to the military’s ability to meet its personnel needs.

— Jeremiah Favara, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of recruits

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“Freshmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freshmen. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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noun

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