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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.
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
Despite his impressive resume that spans two Group of Seven central banks and major investment firms, Carney is a political novice.
—arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Probationary employees aren't necessarily novices, though.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2025
Carney, a political novice, argued that he was best placed to revive the party and to oversee trade negotiations with President Donald Trump, who is threatening additional tariffs that could cripple Canada's export-dependent economy.
—Promit Mukherjee and Ismail Shakil, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025
In the coming days, Mark Carney will be sworn in as the 24th Prime Minister of Canada, a political novice stepping onto the ice at a moment of maximum peril, both for his party and his country.
—Stephen Maher, TIME, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for novice
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arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Probationary employees aren't necessarily novices, though.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2025
Carney, a political novice, argued that he was best placed to revive the party and to oversee trade negotiations with President Donald Trump, who is threatening additional tariffs that could cripple Canada's export-dependent economy.
—Promit Mukherjee and Ismail Shakil, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025
In the coming days, Mark Carney will be sworn in as the 24th Prime Minister of Canada, a political novice stepping onto the ice at a moment of maximum peril, both for his party and his country.
—Stephen Maher, TIME, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for novice
Cite this Entry
“Novice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novice. Accessed 28 Mar. 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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