rookie
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.someone who is new to a job or activity and lacks experience.
n.a person who is new to an organization or activity; a novice or recruit.
Simple“The older officers gave the rookie some advice on his first day at the station.”
In context“Despite being a rookie in the marketing department, she proposed a strategy that outperformed the veteran team's expectations.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
n.an athlete who is in their first year of playing a professional sport.
n.a professional athlete in their first season of competition within a specific league.
Simple“The rookie scored three goals in his very first game for the team.”
In context“The league named him Rookie of the Year after he broke several long-standing records during his debut season.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describing a mistake or behavior that shows you are new and inexperienced.
adj.characteristic of a beginner; often used to describe errors resulting from a lack of experience.
Simple“Forgetting to save your work is a rookie mistake that most people only make once.”
In context“The negotiator made a rookie error by revealing his maximum budget before the discussions had even properly commenced.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to spend time as a beginner or to go through your first year of training.
v.to serve as a rookie or undergo an initial period of professional inexperience.
Simple“He spent two years rookieing in the minor leagues before getting his big break.”
In context“The documentary follows several young pilots as they rookie through their first high-pressure assignments in the air force.”
Thought to be an alteration of recruit + -ie, or from rook (“a cheat”) + -ie. Another possible origin is Dutch broekie (short for broekvent (“a boy still in short trousers”)), a common term for a shipmate. Also suggested is Irish rúca (“an inexperienced person”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.