novice
gb/nˈɑvɪs/ us/nˈɑvɪs/
B2
English
~ 7300
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
person who is a beginner
A person who has just started doing something and does not have much experience yet.
Usage pattern:
a novice at [an activity]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget the article and say *"I am novice at this"* instead of *"I am a novice at this."* Also, *"novice"* is usually followed by *"at"* or *"in"*, as in *"a novice at tennis"* or *"a novice in this field"*, not *"a novice of tennis".* Another confusion is using *"novice"* as a verb (e.g., *"I novice cooking"*), which is incorrect; it is only a noun.
Synonyms
beginner (Most common neutral word; very close in meaning but slightly more general and basic.)
|
newcomer (Focuses more on being new to a place, group, or situation rather than to a skill.)
|
newbie (Informal and sometimes playful; often used in online or tech contexts.)
Antonyms
expert (Someone with a very high level of skill or knowledge, the opposite of a novice.)
|
veteran (Someone with long experience in a field, contrasting with a novice’s inexperience.)
Collocations
complete novice
|total novice
|relative novice
|novice driver
|novice user
|novice teacher
Themes
daily life
|education
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- As a complete novice at programming, she started with a simple online course.
- The club welcomes novices and offers beginner classes every weekend.
- I'm still a novice driver, so I avoid busy city roads.
- Even a relative novice can follow this step-by-step recipe.
- The software is designed so that novices can learn it in a few hours.
Learner examples
- He is a novice at chess.
- I am a complete novice in this job.
- Our teacher is kind to novices in the class.
- She joined the gym as a total novice.
- This book is good for novices to cooking.
Noun
C1
entity
2
trainee member of religious order
Someone who lives with a religious group, like monks or nuns, for a test period before becoming a full member.
Usage pattern:
a novice in [a religious order]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this religious meaning with the general sense of *"beginner"*. In religious contexts, *"novice"* is a specific role or stage, not just any beginner. Also, it is always a person, not a place or a building.
Synonyms
trainee (General word for someone in training; less specific and not limited to religious life.)
|
postulant (More technical and often used for an earlier stage than a novice in some religious traditions.)
Antonyms
monk (A fully accepted male member of a monastic community, contrasting with a novice who is still in training.)
|
nun (A fully accepted female member of a religious community, in contrast to a novice nun still in her trial period.)
Collocations
novice monk
|novice nun
|Buddhist novice
|entered as a novice
|train the novices
|novice master
Themes
religion
|society
Examples
- She spent two years as a novice before taking her final vows as a nun.
- The monastery has ten novices this year, all learning the daily routines of prayer and work.
- As a novice monk, he was not yet allowed to lead services.
- During their novice period, candidates study the rules of the religious order.
- The novice was guided by an older sister who had lived in the convent for many years.
Learner examples
- He entered the monastery as a novice.
- She is a novice nun in that convent.
- The teacher shows the novices how to pray.
- Novices must follow many rules in the monastery.
- After one year as a novice, she took her vows.
Noun
technical
C1
entity
3
beginner-level competitor or event
In sports or races, a beginner competitor or a race only for beginners.
Usage pattern:
a novice [race/class/division]
Common mistake:
Learners may think *"novice"* here only means a person, but it can also describe a class, division, or event restricted to beginners (e.g., *"novice race"*). It is also more formal than *"rookie"*, which is mainly used in everyday talk about team sports.
Synonyms
rookie (Informal; common in team sports like baseball or basketball; focuses on the player rather than the event class.)
|
beginner class (Clear, descriptive phrase; less formal-sounding than *"novice class"* in official rules.)
Antonyms
professional (A top-level or paid competitor, contrasted with a novice who is at the starting level.)
|
elite (The highest-level category in a sport, the opposite end of the scale from novice categories.)
Collocations
novice class
|novice division
|novice race
|novice event
|novice category
|novice riders
Themes
sports
|competition
Examples
- She won the novice race but will have to move up to the intermediate level next season.
- The competition has separate novice and advanced divisions for riders.
- This event is open only to novice rowers who have competed fewer than three times.
- He started in the novice class before qualifying for the expert category.
- The trainer entered the young horse in a novice hurdle to gain experience.
Learner examples
- I will run in the novice race this year.
- The club has a novice class and an expert class.
- Novice riders start with easy jumps.
- He is still in the novice division of the team.
- She moved from the novice event to the main event.
Grammar
Dictionary form
novice
IPA
GB/nˈɑvɪs/
US/nˈɑvɪs/
Syllables & stress
novice (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (novice)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: novice
- Plural: novices
Word family
Forms
novices
noun
Core family
beginner
noun A2
inexperienced
adjective B2
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
expert
noun B1
experienced
adjective
Advanced or less common
neophyte
noun C1
novitiate
noun
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.