inexperienced
gb/ɪnɪkspˈɪɹiənst/ us/ɪnɪkspˈɪɹiənst/
B2
English
~ 10000
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
not having much experience
Not having much practice or knowledge in something, usually because you are new to it.
Usage pattern:
be inexperienced at [activity] / be inexperienced in [field]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "inexperienced" with "inexpensive" because they look similar; however, "inexperienced" is about not having much practice or skill, while "inexpensive" means cheap. Another mistake is using *unexperienced* instead of *inexperienced*; *unexperienced* is rare and generally not natural in modern English.
Synonyms
unskilled (Focuses more on low ability, not just lack of time spent doing something.)
|
green (Informal; often implies someone is new and naive in a job or field.)
|
novice (Usually a noun; emphasizes being new to an activity.)
|
immature (Often about general behavior or emotional development, not only experience in a task.)
Antonyms
experienced (Direct opposite; has a lot of practice and knowledge in an area.)
|
skilled (Opposite in terms of ability; suggests high level of competence, often from long experience.)
|
seasoned (Emphasizes long, often tough experience leading to strong competence.)
Collocations
inexperienced driver
|inexperienced teacher
|young and inexperienced
|relatively inexperienced
|completely inexperienced
|inexperienced staff
Themes
work
|education
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The company is hesitant to hire such an inexperienced candidate for a senior role.
- As an inexperienced driver, she avoided busy highways at first.
- The team struggled at the beginning of the season because they were young and inexperienced.
- He felt nervous giving the presentation because he was inexperienced in public speaking.
- The manager paired the inexperienced staff with older employees for training.
Learner examples
- I am inexperienced, so this is my first big project.
- She is an inexperienced driver and drives very slowly.
- The boss knows I am inexperienced and helps me a lot.
- He was inexperienced in cooking and burned the food.
- Our team is inexperienced, but we work hard.
Grammar
Dictionary form
inexperienced
IPA
GB/ɪnɪkspˈɪɹiənst/
US/ɪnɪkspˈɪɹiənst/
Syllables & stress
in - ex - per - i - enced (5 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (per)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: inexperienced
Word family
Core family
experience
noun B1
experienced
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
inexperience
noun
Advanced or less common
experiential
adjective
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.