tyro
noun
Did you know?
The word tyro is hardly a newcomer to Western language. It comes from the Latin tiro, which means "young soldier," "new recruit," or more generally, "novice." The word was sometimes spelled tyro as early as Medieval Latin, and can be spelled tyro or tiro in English (though tyro is the more common American spelling). Use of tyro in English has never been restricted to the original "young soldier" meaning of the Latin term. Writers in the 17th and 18th centuries wrote of tyros in various fields and occupations, and Herman Melville used tyro to refer to men new to whaling and life at sea. The word also has a long history of being used attributively—that is, directly before another noun—in phrases like "tyro reporter" and "tyro actors."
Synonyms
- abecedarian
- apprentice
- babe
- beginner
- colt
- cub
- fledgling
- freshman
- greenhorn
- neophyte
- newbie
- newcomer
- novice
- novitiate
- punk
- recruit
- rook
- rookie
- tenderfoot
- virgin
Example Sentences
Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2022 The contenders in the original screenplay field are dominated by repeat WGA and Academy Award nominees with a few breakthrough tyro scribes in the mix. Danielle Turchiano, Variety, 30 Dec. 2021 The songs on the young rock tyro's debut album Teenage Heartbreak (out Friday) channel the irresistible riffs, explosive choruses and mix of lust, heartache, rebellion and angst that defined pop-punk's golden age. John Norris, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2021 But after some barbed back-and-forth and a chase down Deborah’s long driveway, the veteran hires the tyro. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2021 And when Robinhood cut off a lot of its tyro investors, the stock tumbled. Larry Light, Forbes, 28 Apr. 2021 Into the breach lunged Mr. Little, an unchallenged copywriting tyro such as only an agency chairman could be. Bruce Mccall, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2020 Unfortunately, actor tyro director/screenwriter Brian Presley lacks the filmmaking chops to make the tale come alive in his feature debut. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2019 Socrates is a haunting slice of Brazilian neo-realism that marks its tyro director/co-screenwriter as a talent to watch. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Aug. 2019 See More Word History
Medieval Latin, from Latin tiro young soldier, tyro
1587, in the meaning defined above
tyro
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- novice
- beginner
- rookie
- apprentice
- newcomer
- freshman
- greenhorn
- neophyte
- fledgling
- virgin
- tenderfoot
- newbie
- recruit
- colt
- rook
- student
- abecedarian
- cub
- novitiate
- amateur
- trainee
- babe
- punk
- boot
- dilettante
- candidate
- dabbler
- learner
- entrant
- probationer
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- veteran
- pro
- vet
- master
- expert
- old-timer
- professional
- old hand
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of tyro are amateur, dabbler, and dilettante. While all these words mean "a person who follows a pursuit without attaining proficiency or professional status," tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering.
While the synonyms amateur and tyro are close in meaning, amateur often applies to one practicing an art without mastery of its essentials; in sports it may also suggest not so much lack of skill but avoidance of direct remuneration.
The synonyms dabbler and tyro are sometimes interchangeable, but dabbler suggests desultory habits of work and lack of persistence.
The meanings of dilettante and tyro largely overlap; however, dilettante may apply to the lover of an art rather than its skilled practitioner but usually implies elegant trifling in the arts and an absence of serious commitment.