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newcomer

newcomer

123 1.6
A person who has recently arrived in a place, joined a group, or started an activity
  • noun
  • /ˈnjuːˌkʌmər/
translation icon : recién llegado
  • As a newcomer to the city, she was eager to explore and meet new friends.
  • a relative newcomer
  • natives and newcomers
  • newcomers arrive

At the Grammys last year, Seth's choice for best newcomer was Jack Jones.

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Examples

  • Early the next morning, the newcomers were taken to Smallwood's Switch, three miles south of Atoka.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The majority of the survey respondents are newcomers to the United States and to the region.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Everybody was a newcomer from somewhere, so nobody knew it all.

  • Who was this man, this newcomer, this lawyer who had moved in among them?

    Fiction book (1994)
  • These were the biggest players, but there are two newcomers that are worth having an eye on.

  • Harvard can be a strange and difficult place for a newcomer, freshman, professor or poet.

  • As she crossed the room, neither of the newcomers could take their eyes off her.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • They were still newcomers in this ancient island nation.

  • You have Egyptian characters who are immigrants and you have Egyptian students who are newcomers from Egypt.

  • I've sat in this room and seen the faces of many newcomers.

Synonyms

rookie
vsnewcomer
  • Informal
276 3.7

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

stresses recent arrival or joining as well as being new
newbie
vsnewcomer
  • Slang
60 4.7

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

focuses more on recent arrival or joining rather than only inexperience
novice
vsnewcomer
46 3.4

A person new to an activity who has little experience

adds the idea of recent arrival or joining beyond mere inexperience
freshman
vsnewcomer
  • US
41 2.4

A person new to a group or activity in their first year

is more general, not limited to the first year stage
neophyte
vsnewcomer
9 8.4

A person new to a subject, skill, or belief

covers arrival or joining, not only learning or belief beginnings
initiate
vsnewcomer
8 6.9

A person new to a group, often accepted after a ceremony

is broader and does not require formal admission or ceremony
new kid on the block
vsnewcomer
  • Informal
8 3.7

A person or thing new to a group that others do not know yet

is less about attention and more about being newly arrived or joined
noob
vsnewcomer
  • Offensive
8 8.4

A person who is new and not skilled at games or online groups

is the neutral general term for someone who recently arrived or joined
comer
vsnewcomer
7 7.1

A person who has just arrived at a place or event

adds joining groups or starting activities beyond mere arrival
new kid in town
vsnewcomer
  • Informal
2 4.3

A person new to a place who people notice

is more general, covering arrival or simply starting an activity
Johnny-come-lately
vsnewcomer
  • Informal
2 9.1

A person who recently joined a group and is seen as a newcomer

is neutral about timing and does not imply lateness or judgment
fledgling
vsnewcomer
1 6.8

A person or group new to an activity with little experience

is more about being newly arrived or newly joined, not just weak experience
incomer
vsnewcomer
  • UK
1 5.1

A person who has recently moved to a new town or area

includes arrival but also joining groups or beginning activities
neoteric
vsnewcomer
9.9

A person new to a job or group

is broader, also covering arrival in a place or starting any activity

Antonyms

1.8

A person who lives in a place for a long time

184 3.8

A person with long experience in a job or activity

How New

newbie
  • Slang
60 4.7
newcomer
123 1.6

Surface Forms

newcomer singular
newcomers plural

Morphology

newcomer = new + comer (transparent) = new + comer

The compound 'new' + 'comer' straightforwardly yields 'a person who is newly arrived', a meaning B1 learners can derive.

Etymology

The word newcomer is simply new + come: new means 'not old' and come means 'to arrive', so a newcomer is someone who has recently 'come' to a place or group.