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 Web
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.
The historic moment summoned bandana loyalists and Willie novices alike.—Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American-Statesman, 25 Nov. 2024 Found in the Brazilian savannas, this terrestrial tarantula is a favorite among both novice and seasoned keepers for its manageable size and temperament.—Scott Travers, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024 These genius self-watering bulbs automatically know when to water thirsty plants, making keeping indoor plants alive easy for green thumbs and novices alike.—Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024 The deer, knowing by some mysterious means that his would-be slayer is a novice, stands still, looking with amusement at buck fever’s latest victim.—Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for novice
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
Share