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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.
Synonyms
Examples of novice in a Sentence
Novices serve time as scullery serfs as they work toward the privilege of trailing a pastry chef …
—
Guy Trebay, New York Times, 4 Sept. 2002
For the novice, walking the course also means being scared senseless by all the possibilities to screw up.
—Tim Keown, ESPN, 17 Sept. 2001
Yet it's obvious to him and everyone else who the novice is here, the book-learned tournament virgin.
—James McManus, Harper's, December 2000
Much 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
Guy Trebay, New York Times, 4 Sept. 2002
For the novice, walking the course also means being scared senseless by all the possibilities to screw up.
—Tim Keown, ESPN, 17 Sept. 2001
Yet it's obvious to him and everyone else who the novice is here, the book-learned tournament virgin.
—James McManus, Harper's, December 2000
Much 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
Now, Trump has four years of White House experience while Vance is a novice.
—Roy Brownell, Baltimore Sun, 18 Jan. 2025
While a novice might think that selecting the right fly is the key to catching fish, seasoned anglers know that meticulous attention to every element of the fishing process leads to a rewarding day on the water.
—Brennan Drew, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Apart from Musk’s most loyal sycophants, the build was almost universally ridiculed as the work of a complete novice.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2025
Whether a stargazing novice or an experienced amateur astronomer, you’ve probably been tempted to buy a monocular.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for novice 
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Roy Brownell, Baltimore Sun, 18 Jan. 2025
While a novice might think that selecting the right fly is the key to catching fish, seasoned anglers know that meticulous attention to every element of the fishing process leads to a rewarding day on the water.
—Brennan Drew, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Apart from Musk’s most loyal sycophants, the build was almost universally ridiculed as the work of a complete novice.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2025
Whether a stargazing novice or an experienced amateur astronomer, you’ve probably been tempted to buy a monocular.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for novice
Dictionary Entries Near novice
Cite this Entry
“Novice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novice. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
novice
noun
nov·ice
ˈnäv-əs 
1
: a new member of a religious order who is preparing to take the vows of religion
2
: a person who has no previous experience with something
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