Meanings
plural novices
- A beginner; one who is not very familiar or experienced in a particular subject.First known use 14th c.
I'm only a novice at coding, so my programs frequently have bugs that more experienced programmers would avoid.
1 more example
We made a redstone system earlier, but Stump was behind that. He had to help me explain it when I was writing about it in here. And that system wasn't very complicated, by the way. Not nearly as complex as some of the things I've seen the humans make. Stump may be ahead of me in this regard, but compared to the humans he's a super novice.
2017, Cube Kid (alias dictus Erik Gunnar Taylor), Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior: Path of the Diamond, page 87 - lifestyleA new member of a religious order accepted on a conditional basis, prior to confirmation.First known use 14th c.
Nor had it been difficult to find a Coptic priest who, together with his youthful novice, chanted the seemingly interminable Egyptian service of the dead […]
1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), page 1137
comparative more novice · superlative most novice
- Of a beginner; unfamiliar or unexperienced in a particular subject.
Synonyms: amateur, greenhorn, learner, neophyte, newbie, newling
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf a beginner; unfamiliar or unexperienced in a particular subject.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomeone who has entered a religious order but has not taken final vows
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinnovīcius
- Middle Frenchnovice
- Anglo-Normannovice
- Middle Englishnovice
- Englishnovice
From Middle English novice, novys, from Anglo-Norman novice, Middle French novice, itself borrowed from Latin novīcius, later novitius (“new, newly arrived”) (in Late Latin as a noun, masculine novicius, feminine novicia (“one who has newly entered a monastery or a convent”)), from novus (“new”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian послушник, послушница
- послушник (poslušnik)new member of a religious order
- послушница (poslušnica)new member of a religious order
Catalan novici, novícia
- novicinew member of a religious order
- novícianew member of a religious order
Czech novic, novicka
- novicnew member of a religious order
- novickanew member of a religious order
Danish novice
- novicenew member of a religious order
Esperanto novico
- noviconew member of a religious order
Finnish noviisi
- noviisinew member of a religious order
German Novize, Novizin
- Novizenew member of a religious order
- Novizinnew member of a religious order
Greek δόκιμος, δόκιμη
- δόκιμος (dókimos)new member of a religious order
- δόκιμη (dókimi)new member of a religious order
Hungarian novícius, papnövendék
- novíciusnew member of a religious order
- papnövendéknew member of a religious order
- -jelöltnew member of a religious order
Norwegian Bokmål novise, novise
- novisenew member of a religious order
- novisenew member of a religious order
Polish nowicjusz, nowicjuszka
- nowicjusznew member of a religious order
- nowicjuszkanew member of a religious order
Portuguese noviço, noviça
- noviçonew member of a religious order
- noviçanew member of a religious order
Russian послу́шник, послу́шница
- послу́шник (poslúšnik)new member of a religious order
- послу́шница (poslúšnica)new member of a religious order
Spanish novicio, novicia
- novicionew member of a religious order
- novicianew member of a religious order
Swedish novis
- novisnew member of a religious order
Turkish çömez
- çömeznew member of a religious order
Ukrainian неофі́т
- неофі́т (neofít)new member of a religious order
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
novice. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/novice
“novice.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/novice. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “novice,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/novice.
Source: novice on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.