novice
part of speech
noun (a novice, novices); adjective (novice, as in «a novice skier»)
meaning for a pupil
1) A novice is a beginner: someone who is new to an activity and has little skill or experience yet. tree →
2) (church) A novice is a person who has joined a religious community, such as monks or nuns, and is training before making their final promises. tree →
3) In sport and competitions, a novice event or class is for beginners. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life and stories it shows that someone is just starting and may make mistakes, the opposite of an expert. Children meet it in swimming, chess, riding and coding clubs («novice level»). In church life it names a trainee monk or nun. Phrases: «a complete novice», «novice level», «novice class».
examples
- I am a complete novice at chess, so please explain the rules. tree →
- The novice skiers practised on the gentle slope. tree →
- Even experts were novices once. tree →
- She entered the novice class at the pony show. tree →
- The novice nun learned the prayers and daily work of the convent. tree →
- This coding website has puzzles for novices and for experts. tree →
- As a novice cook, Dad burnt the toast twice. tree →
- One feels quite a novice beside these venerable million-year-old boulders. tree →
note
Countable: a novice, two novices. Opposite: expert, veteran. Similar words: beginner, learner, newcomer. Do not confuse with «novel» (a book or something new).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «novice» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.