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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
Gear that is more accessible to novices, social media posts from beautiful locales and a false sense of security carrying a cellphone creates may all be playing a role here.
—Amanda Loudin, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Beginners and families can warm up on the .25-mile Gold Bug Loop, while novice riders looking to improve their freeride skills can cruise down Tommyknocker (5.8 miles).
—AFAR Media, 23 May 2025
Much of Emilia’s intellectual curiosity and confidence comes from her stepfather, a Spanish speaking schoolteacher who marries her pregnant mother, a novice Catholic nun abandoned after a romance with a wealthy Chilean aristocrat.
—Anita Snow, Boston Herald, 9 May 2025
Clergy and laity, faithful and curious, novice and veteran attendees all packed into the world's tiniest country to be a part of the historical moment.
—Daniel Burke, NPR, 8 May 2025
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Amanda Loudin, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Beginners and families can warm up on the .25-mile Gold Bug Loop, while novice riders looking to improve their freeride skills can cruise down Tommyknocker (5.8 miles).
—AFAR Media, 23 May 2025
Much of Emilia’s intellectual curiosity and confidence comes from her stepfather, a Spanish speaking schoolteacher who marries her pregnant mother, a novice Catholic nun abandoned after a romance with a wealthy Chilean aristocrat.
—Anita Snow, Boston Herald, 9 May 2025
Clergy and laity, faithful and curious, novice and veteran attendees all packed into the world's tiniest country to be a part of the historical moment.
—Daniel Burke, NPR, 8 May 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 10 Jun. 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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