Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

inexperience

American  
[in-ik-speer-ee-uhns] / ˌɪn ɪkˈspɪər i əns /

noun

  1. lack of experience.

  2. lack of knowledge, skill, or wisdom gained from experience.

inexperience British  
/ ˌɪnɪkˈspɪərɪəns /

noun

  1. lack of experience or of the knowledge and understanding derived from experience

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • inexperienced adjective

Etymology

Origin of inexperience

From the Late Latin word inexperientia, dating back to 1590–1600. See in- 3, experience

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In those cases, poor behaviour is usually driven by inexperience or uncertainty, not intent.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

St. John Bosco’s inexperience at quarterback and the absence of an elite running back also were exposed.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 23, 2025

There were around 2,300 traffic-related fatalities last year, with over a third attributed to driver inexperience or recklessness.

From Barron's • Nov. 17, 2025

But Mamdani’s speech was not the ritual of unity and healing they wanted and expected, and they were reduced to mumbled excuses about the microphone, his tone of voice and his inexperience.

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025

But young men didn't--at least in my provincial inexperience I believed they didn't--drift coolly out of nowhere and buy a palace on Long Island Sound.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.