Nonexpert

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who does not have the required knowledge or skills to be considered an expert in a particular area
2. Someone lacking the specialized training or expertise in a given field
3. An individual who does not possess advanced understanding or professional proficiency in a subject

Etymology: "Nonexpert" is a plain compound: the prefix "non-", meaning "not," attached to "expert." The English noun "expert" comes from Latin "expertus," the past participle of "experiri," "to try, test, or prove," so an expert is literally someone who has been tested by experience. Adding "non-" simply reverses that: a nonexpert is someone who has not undergone that testing in a given field. The prefix "non-" is productive in English and is used freely to form negated nouns and adjectives, which is why this compound needed no special coinage. The Oxford English Dictionary records "non-expert" as both an adjective and a noun, and the hyphenated and unhyphenated spellings are both in use today.

Synonyms: amateur, novice, layperson, dilettante, outsider

Antonyms: expert, professional, specialist, authority, master