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Glite Dictionary
young padawan

young padawan

1 9.9
A new person learning from an experienced teacher, often used jokingly from Star Wars
  • noun
  • /jʌŋ ˈpædəˌwɑn/
  • Jargon
translation icon : padawan
  • The sophists would have been proud of this, their young padawan.

Examples

  • Every young padawan dreams of becoming a Jedi Knight one day.

  • The Force is powerful, my young padawan.

    The Benchwarmers (2006)

  • Learning you are, young padawan.

    Superbad (2007)

  • As a young padawan, he eagerly absorbed every lesson from his master.

  • The young padawan trained diligently under the guidance of the Jedi.

Synonyms

cadet
vsyoung padawan
318 3.9

A young person training to become an officer in the armed forces

is broader and applies to apprenticeship beyond military training
rookie
vsyoung padawan
  • Informal
276 3.7

A person new to a job or activity who has little experience

is about learning under a mentor rather than simply being new to a role
novice
vsyoung padawan
46 3.4

A person new to an activity who has little experience

is more about being an apprentice in the early stages of learning
padawan
vsyoung padawan
  • Informal
13 9.5

A young student who trains to be a Jedi

is the same meaning but adds emphasis on being early in training

Antonyms

expert
∞ 3.2

A person who knows a lot about a subject and can help others

master
791 4.2

A person who is very skilled in an activity or art

How Experienced

master
791 4.2
apprentice
97 3.4
young padawan
  • Jargon
1 9.9
novice
46 3.4
beginner
81 1.0

Surface Forms

young padawan singular
young padawans plural

Morphology

young + padawan

The constituent 'padawan' already means a novice/apprentice and 'young' simply specifies age or early stage, so the combined meaning is directly and predictably derived from the parts. Although 'padawan' is a culture-specific term from Star Wars, the modifier + noun composition is transparent and would be clear to a learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The phrase young padawan comes from Star Wars, where a padawan is a Jedi learner who trains with a Jedi master. The image of a young Jedi in training makes young padawan a playful way to call someone a 'beginner' today.