inexperience

noun

in·​ex·​pe·​ri·​ence ˌi-nik-ˈspir-ē-ən(t)s How to pronounce inexperience (audio)
1
: lack of practical experience
2
: lack of knowledge of the ways of the world
inexperienced adjective

Examples of inexperience in a Sentence

He blames his mistakes on inexperience.
Recent Examples on the Web And his deer-in-the-headlights rookie inexperience and policy vagueness have consistently shown. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 In a state so vast that 22 million voters were registered in the last presidential election, name recognition can still overcome political inexperience and a lack of money. Shawn Hubler, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 There have been moments this season, though, where his inexperience has shown, but the future looks bright for the young midfielder who seems to have his feet firmly on the ground. Ben Church, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024 Stroud and the Texans will have to overcome their inexperience to pull off the upset. Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2024 Taking on a pro-bono financial case for the local children's theatre, Beth meets Nate (Andrew Dunbar), whose financial inexperience may cause the theatre to shut down. EW.com, 17 Oct. 2023 For weeks, Republicans had been hyping her chances, and the national press had been taking her seriously as a candidate, despite her inexperience and stiffness as a campaigner. Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2024 Her experience was really critical to bridging the gap in my own inexperience as a new designer. Stephanie Tharpe, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 The snail’s pace of new appointments has some observers worried about whether outgoing members will be replaced before the presidential election, and how an unprecedented level of inexperience could affect the panel. Rachel Cohrs, STAT, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inexperience.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Late Latin inexperientia, from Latin in- + experientia experience

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inexperience was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near inexperience

Cite this Entry

“Inexperience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inexperience. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inexperience

noun
in·​ex·​pe·​ri·​ence ˌin-ik-ˈspir-ē-ən(t)s How to pronounce inexperience (audio)
: lack of experience
inexperienced adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on inexperience

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