experience
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɪkˈspɪə.ɹɪəns/
ipa: /ɪkˈspɪɹ.i.əns/
Forms: form: experiences
Etymology: From Middle English experience, from Old French, from Latin experientia (“a trial, proof, experiment, experimental knowledge, experience”), from experiens, present participle of experiri (“to try, put to the test, undertake, undergo”), from ex (“out”) + peritus (“experienced, expert”), past participle of *periri (“to go through”); see expert and peril. Displaced native Old English āfandung (“experience”) and āfandian (“to experience”).
Senses: examples: text: It was an experience he would not soon forget.
text: March 20, 1684-5, John Sharp, Sermon preached at Whitehall
Those that undertook the religion of our Savior upon his preaching, had no experience of it.
text: “I have tried, as I hinted, to enlist the co-operation of other capitalists, but experience has taught me that any appeal is futile that does not impinge directly upon cupidity. […]”
ref: 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
text: Lastly, I must mention the "Underground," to travel on which was, in those days, an experience to be remembered. There were the antique looking engines, and the rather grim carriages, with the fascinating indicators in the compartments to show (not always correctly!) the next station, and above all, there was the atmosphere.
ref: 1957 July 23, M. D. Greville, “A Diamond Jubilee of Railway Memories”, in Railway Magazine, page 459:
glosses: The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and direct impressions as contrasted with description or fancies; personal acquaintance; actual enjoyment or suffering.
glosses: An activity one has performed.
examples: text: Virtually all employers now require jobseekers to have work experience even for entry-level roles. Many believe this will hurt companies in the long run.
text: they knew soone by experience how slenderly guarded against danger, the majestie of Rulers is
ref: 1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “(please specify the book number)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge, […], →OCLC:
text: Whence has it all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer in one word, from experience.
ref: 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book I, page 1:
text: We determined that the car driver’s transportation of multiple teen passengers, limited driving experience, and likely impairment from effects of cannabis at the time of the crash adversely affected her judgment of the danger of entering the intersection in front of the approaching combination vehicle.
ref: 2024, NTSB, Intersection Crash Between Passenger Car and Combination Vehicle, Tishomingo, Oklahoma, March 22, 2022:
glosses: A collection of events and/or activities from which an individual or group may gather knowledge, opinions, and skills.
examples: text: In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.
ref: 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
glosses: The knowledge thus gathered.
examples: text: As your troops conquer the enemy, they'll earn experience and gain levels. Each time they level up, their stats will increase.
ref: 2003 December 23, “Fire Emblem”, in Nintendo Power, volume 174, Show Some Class, page 33:
qualifier: roleplaying games
glosses: Synonym of experience points
synonyms: word: experience points
examples: text: She caused him to make experience / Vpon wyld beasts, which she in woods did find, / With wrongfull powre oppressing others of their kind
ref: 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 7:
glosses: Trial; a test or experiment.
Hyponyms: sense: activity one has performed
word: user experience
Derived terms: boyfriend experience
chalk something up to experience
chief experience officer
coexperience
customer experience
developer experience
eggsperience
experienced
experience effect
experience is the best teacher
experienceless
experience meeting
experience point
experience points
experiencer
experience table
experiencewise
experiential
girlfriend experience
inner experience
interexperience
learn from experience
lived experience
near-death experience
nonexperience
out-of-body experience
out-of-box experience
out-of-the-body experience
pornstar experience
postexperience
pseudoexperience
put something down to experience
real-life experience
sexperience
unexperience
work experience