Words / C2

NEE-uh-fyt/ˈniːəfaɪt/

A neophyte is a newcomer to a skill, post, or belief (formal): a neophyte in the lab, political neophytes. Beginner is everyday; novice is a close twin. Nascent (already in the dictionary) is of things just beginning, not of people. Do not call a junior a neophyte merely for asking where the date went.

Meaning

A person new to a skill, job, or belief (formal).

Examples

• “A neophyte press officer still needs a lawyer on the embargo.”
• “Beginner is everyday. Novice is close. Nascent is of a process (already in C2). Ingenuous (already in C2) is naively frank — a cousin of manner, not of rank. Newness does not license a leak. Name a supervisor.”

Good to know

Beginner (formal). Everyday: beginner. Close: novice. Contrast: nascent (of things, not people). Asking for the date is not inexperience.

Near in meaning

beginner

New