Because the word experience has so many meanings, you may find that synonyms for experience make your writing stronger.
Experience is one of the over-used words in the English language. As you work to make your writing better, you may want to substitute a common synonym for experience in your writing to avoid the problem of overused words. Thankfully, the Thesaurus is full of words that can replace experience. Because experience has two meanings, this word list is broken into those meanings.
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Strong writers know how to use synonyms to avoid words, like experience, which get used too often. Before you can use synonyms of experience, you must first understand the meanings of the word.
What Does Experience Mean?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word experience has several meanings. First, it is a noun that can mean:
- The process of doing and seeing things
- Skill or knowledge gained by doing something
- Length of time spent doing something
- An exciting event
Experience is also a verb with these meanings:
- To have experience of
- To learn by experience
Synonyms for the Noun Experience
These words are great replacements for experience used as a noun meaning “the process of doing and seeing things:”
1. Escapade
Adventurous action often that goes against instructed action
2. Familiarity
The quality or state of being familiar with something
3. Involvement
The act or state of being involved
4. Worldliness
Showing significant experience and knowledge about life and the world.
These words are replacements for the noun meaning “skill or knowledge gained by doing something:”
5. Conversance
The state of having knowledge or experience
6. Dexterity
Skill and ease of using the hands or mind
7. Expertise
The skill of someone who is an expert
8. Know-how
Knowledge of how to do something often based on experience
These words are replacements for the noun meaning “length of time spent doing something:”
9. Background
Total of a person’s experience and knowledge
10. Command
Mastery of something
11. Track Record
Past history of the same action or event
Finally, these words are replacements for “an exciting event:”
12. Adventure
An undertaking that has danger and risk
13. Caper
Illegal or questionable escapade
14. Gest
An adventure or exploit
Synonyms for the Verb Experience
The verb experience has the following synonyms:
15. Encounter
To experience something unexpectedly
16. Endure
To go through something without giving in
17. Face
To confront and experience something, often in competition or battle
18. Go through
To continue to the end of an experience
19. Participate
To take part in something or share in an experience
20. Suffer
To be forced to endure something negative
Related Words and Idioms to Experience
In addition to a stereotypical common synonym for experience, this word has many idioms and related words. Some idioms that include this word are:
1. Years of Experience
This idiom refers to the work experience or history someone has.
2. Experience is the Best Teacher
This visualization equates experience with a classroom teacher because most people learn best through doing.
3. Man of Experience
A man of experience is someone who has a lot of worldly knowledge or savoir-faire due to his past history.
Some words that come from experience include:
1. Experienced
The past tense of the verb experience is sometimes used as an adjective, like this example sentence:
- The experienced nurse knew exactly what was wrong with the patient.
2. Experiential
This adjective means “based on experience” and is derived from the word experience. Here’s an example:
- Experiential knowledge is the best way to learn about nature.
3. Inexperience
The word inexperience is an antonym for experience. It means the lack of experience or knowledge from past activities.
- His inexperience made him the worst candidate for the job.
A Final Word on Synonyms for Experience
To choose the right synonym for experience, you must know the use of the word in your sentence. This word has so many different meanings, that synonyms often make the writing clearer.
To succeed in writing, keep your thesaurus and this world list handy. The next time you feel tempted to write “experience,” swap the word for one of these synonyms to make the writing stronger.
FAQs on Synonyms for Experience
What are some synonyms for experienced?
Someone who is experienced is:
1. Knowledgeable
2. Skillful
3. Mature
4. Qualified
5. Accomplished
What are some synonyms for work experience?
Some synonyms for work experience include:
1. Employment history
2. Length of service
3. Professional experience
