experienced

experienced — adjective

1. having developed the skill and knowledge to do something well through having don

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

having developed the skill and knowledge to do something well through having done it repeatedly over a period of time.

Example

Chef Zola is a highly experienced cook with twenty years of kitchen work behind her.

collocation: highly experienced + noun (role)

Gabriel wants to learn from an experienced lawyer before starting his own firm.

experienced + noun for a person with skill in a profession

Common collocations
  • highly experienced
  • experienced in
  • experienced at
  • more experienced
  • very experienced
  • experienced professional
  • experienced team
  • experienced eye
Synonyms
  • skilled

    More general term for having ability; does not necessarily imply long practice.

  • seasoned

    Informal tone; emphasizes a long period of practice, especially in a specific job or role.

  • expert

    Stronger; suggests a very high level of skill, often formally recognised.

  • proficient

    More formal; focuses on competence and ability to perform well.

Antonyms
  • inexperienced

    The direct opposite — lacking the practice or knowledge gained from doing something.

  • novice

    Describes someone who is new to an activity and still learning.

Grammar Patterns

experienced + noun

experienced in/at + noun/gerund

be/get + experienced

Usage Note

Gradable adjective — you can say more experienced, most experienced, very experienced, or highly experienced. Typically followed by a noun describing the role or activity (an experienced pilot) or by in/at + noun or gerund (experienced in managing teams). The preposition in is more common in professional or formal contexts; at is used for specific tasks.

Common Mistakes

He is experience in teaching.
He is experienced in teaching.
'experienced' is an adjective, not a noun; do not drop the -d.
She is experienced for five years.
She has been working for five years and is now experienced.
'experienced' describes a state, not a duration; use a time phrase with the action, not the adjective.
I am experienced to fix cars.
I am experienced in fixing cars.
use 'in/at + gerund' rather than a to-infinitive after 'experienced'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe someone who can do something well, but they differ in tone and emphasis. Skilled is the broadest term — it focuses on ability without saying how it was gained. Seasoned is more informal and always implies a long period of practice (a seasoned journalist who has covered many elections). Expert carries the strongest level of authority and often implies formal recognition or deep specialist knowledge (an expert witness in court). Proficient is more formal and technical, used when someone meets a required standard of competence (proficient in spoken French). For everyday use, experienced is the most neutral and natural choice when you want to highlight that practice, not just natural talent, is the source of the ability: 'The hotel hired an experienced manager, not just a skilled one who had never run a team before.'

skilled ↗seasonedexpert ↗proficient ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • with an experienced eye
  • experienced in the field of
  • experienced enough to

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word experienced comes from the Latin experiri, meaning 'to try' or 'to test'. This passed into Old French as experience, and then into Middle English as experience. The adjective experienced was formed in the 1500s by adding the suffix -ed to the noun experience, creating the sense of 'having been tested or tried through practice'. Over time the idea of being tested shifted to the modern meaning of having gained skill and knowledge through repeated practice.