experience
See also: expérience
English
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”).
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɪkˈspɪɹ.i.əns/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪkˈspɪə.ɹɪəns/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (UK) (file) - Hyphenation: ex‧pe‧ri‧ence
Noun
experience (countable and uncountable, plural experiences)
- 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.
- It was an experience he would not soon forget.
- 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.
- 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
- “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. […] ”
- (countable) An activity one has performed.
- (countable) A collection of events and/or activities from which an individual or group may gather knowledge, opinions, and skills.
- 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 12997447:
- they knew soone by experience how slenderly guarded against danger, the majestie of Rulers is
- 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], OCLC 153628242, book I, page 1:
- Whence has it all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer in one word, from experience.
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- (uncountable) The knowledge thus gathered.
- 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
- 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.
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- (obsolete, uncountable) Trial; a test or experiment.
- 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938, stanza 7:
- She caused him to make experience / Vpon wyld beasts, which she in woods did find, / With wrongfull powre oppressing others of their kind
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Usage notes
- Adjectives often applied to "experience": broad, wide, good, bad, great, amazing, horrible, terrible, pleasant, unpleasant, educational, financial, military, commercial, academic, political, industrial, sexual, romantic, religious, mystical, spiritual, psychedelic, scientific, human, magical, intense, deep, humbling, unforgettable, unique, exciting, exhilarating.
Antonyms
- inexperience
Hyponyms
- (activity one has performed): user experience
Derived terms
- customer experience
- developer experience
- experienced
- experience effect
- experience is the best teacher
- experience meeting
- experience point
- experience points
- experience table
- experiential
- girlfriend experience
- learn from experience
- lived experience
- near-death experience
- out-of-body experience
- out-of-box experience
- work experience
Translations
effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in
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activity which one has performed
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collection of events and/or activities from which an individual or group may gather knowledge
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the knowledge thus gathered
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Verb
experience (third-person singular simple present experiences, present participle experiencing, simple past and past participle experienced)
- (transitive) To observe certain events; undergo a certain feeling or process; or perform certain actions that may alter one or contribute to one's knowledge, opinions, or skills.
Synonyms
- undergo
Derived terms
- experienceable
- re-experience. reexperience
Translations
to observe or undergo
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References
- experience at OneLook Dictionary Search
- experience in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
- "experience" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 126.
- experience in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- experience in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
Further reading
experience on Wikipedia.Wikipedia