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Neophyte is hardly a new addition to the English language—it's been part of the English vocabulary since the 14th century. It traces back through Late Latin to the Greek word neophytos, meaning "newly planted" or "newly converted." These Greek and Latin roots were directly transplanted into the early English uses of neophyte, which first referred to a person newly converted to a religion or cause. By the 1600s, neophyte had gained a more general sense of "a beginner or novice." Today you might consider it a formal elder sibling of such recent informal coinages as newbie and noob.
Examples of neophyte in a Sentence
Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Sep. 2024
In its early days, the Tea Party was often described as comprising nonpartisan political neophytes who, hurt by the Great Recession, had been spurred into action out of concern over runaway government spending.
—David E. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2012
Political neophyte Patrick Briody is also in the race.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 30 July 2024
Vance, who is just 39, is half Trump's age, is one of the youngest men to be a vice presidential nominee and is political neophyte, a first-term senator who's only been in office for about a year and a half.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for neophyte 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'neophyte.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Neophyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neophyte. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
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neophyte
noun
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