novice

/ˈnɒvɪs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnɑːvɪs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈnä-vəs/ (ame, mw)

novice — 名詞

  • novicesingular
  • novicesplural

1. someone just starting to learn or do something, with very little experience or s

1.名詞B1
釋義

新手；初學者

在某領域剛開始學習或工作的人

someone just starting to learn or do something, with very little experience or skill yet

例句

The cooking class was designed for novices who had never boiled an egg before.

這堂烹飪課是為連蛋都沒煮過的新手設計的。

As a novice at chess, Hamza lost his first ten games against the school club.

Hamza 在棋藝上是個新手，對上學校社團連輸了前十場比賽。

collocation: a novice at [activity]

同義詞
  • beginner

    the most general and common term; can refer to oneself naturally

  • newcomer

    emphasizes recent arrival rather than lack of skill

  • rookie

    informal; strongly associated with sports, police, and military contexts

  • trainee

    implies a formal training programme with a supervisor

反義詞
  • expert

    someone with deep knowledge gained through long experience

  • veteran

    someone with extensive practice, especially in a demanding field

用法筆記

Frequently followed by 'at' or 'in' to specify the field of inexperience: 'a novice at golf', 'a novice in politics'.

常見錯誤

❌He is novice at using computers.
✅He is a novice at using computers.
💡As a countable noun, 'novice' needs an article (a/an/the) before it.

2. a trainee member of a religious community such as a monastery or convent, still

2.名詞B2
釋義

初學生

在修道院受訓、準備成為正式修士或修女的人

a trainee member of a religious community such as a monastery or convent, still in the preparatory stage before full vows are taken

例句

The novice spent her first year in the convent praying with the older nuns.

那位初學生在修道院的第一年，跟著年長修女一起祈禱。

Zuri entered the monastery as a novice at the age of twenty-two.

Zuri 在二十二歲時進入修道院成為初學生。

collocation: enter as a novice

同義詞
  • postulant

    the stage before becoming a novice in some Catholic orders; a more preliminary status

  • initiate

    a broader term for someone newly admitted to a group, not exclusively religious

反義詞

用法筆記

Only this sense refers to a formal religious status within a monastery or convent; use sense 1 for all general meanings of inexperience.

常見錯誤

❌She became a novice monk last year.
✅She became a novice nun last year.
💡Match 'novice' with the correct term for the gender: 'novice monk' for men, 'novice nun' for women.