Inexperience

/ˌɪnɪkˈspɪriəns/ noun

Definition

Lack of knowledge or skill that comes from not having done something before. Her inexperience in cooking led to some burnt meals.

Etymology

From the prefix in- (not) + experience (from Latin experientia, from experiri meaning 'to try/test'). The root suggests something not yet tried or tested through practice.

Kelly Says

Inexperience literally means 'not yet tried'—it's built on the Latin idea of experience as something you get by experimenting and testing. Rather than being shameful, the word itself implies the natural state before you've had chances to try things.

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