Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An inexperienced or immature person, especially one who is easily deceived.
- noun A newcomer, especially one who is unfamiliar with the ways of a place or group.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A raw, inexperienced person; one unacquainted with the world or with local customs, and therefore easily imposed upon.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A raw, inexperienced person; one easily imposed upon.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun an
inexperienced person; anovice ,beginner ornewcomer
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an awkward and inexperienced youth
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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At the word greenhorn Abe Potash leaned forward and struck the table with his open hand.
Abe and Mawruss Being Further Adventures of Potash and Perlmutter Montague Glass 1905
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Being a "greenhorn" -- i.e., just off the boat -- was a put down back when your professor, PT, was coming up.
TPMCafe 2010
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Being a "greenhorn" -- i.e., just off the boat -- was a put down back when your professor, PT, was coming up.
TPMCafe 2010
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A fool of a greenhorn was a-managin 'of the thing, an' this is the result.
The Rover Boys on the Great Lakes Or, the secret of the island cave Edward Stratemeyer 1896
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I inquired what he meant, was first called a greenhorn for not knowing, and then had it explained to me.
Frank Mildmay The Naval Officer Frederick Marryat 1820
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Renee W. said, "Sometimes a greenhorn is a dark horse and even a nova."
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For Jews in New York, eating in Chinese restaurants signified that one was not a provincial or parochial Eastern European Jew, not a "greenhorn" or hick.
Boing Boing: December 29, 2002 - January 4, 2003 Archives 2002
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Anyhow that means a sort of 'greenhorn' I suppose.
The Boy from the Ranch Or Roy Bradner's City Experiences Frank V. Webster
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I can't no more wear my 'greenhorn' shawl going out with an American.
Hungry Hearts 1920
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This new wave of hope swept aside the fact that she was the "greenhorn" janitress, that she was twenty-two and dowryless, and, according to the traditions of her people, condemned to be shelved aside as an unmated thing – a creature of pity and ridicule.
Hungry Hearts 1920
ofravens commented on the word greenhorn
None of that greenhorn lot matched her bright crown
from "The Queen's Complaint," Sylvia Plath
April 14, 2008