Standard Lemma guide

freshman

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈfɹɛʃ.mən/
  • [ˈfɹwɛʃ.mən] ~ [ˈfɹwɛʃ.mn̩]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: F R EH1 SH M AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

a person (of either sex) entering the first year of an institution, especially a high school (ninth grade for US, grade 9 for Canada, grade 7 for Philippines), a university, or legislative body

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, Philippines, US

Examples

  • At the time I was a wide-eyed freshman, but I was soon to grow jaded and cynical.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a novice; one in the rudiments of knowledge

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

used of a person in the first year of an experience (especially in United States high school or college)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a freshman senator
  • freshman year in high school or college

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: first-year

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a first-year undergraduate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fresher

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: lowerclassman, underclassman

5

noun

Meaning 5

any new participant in some activity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: newcomer, fledgling, fledgeling, starter, neophyte, newbie, entrant

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: novice, beginner, tyro, tiro, initiate

Narrower terms: recruit, enlistee

History

Etymology

From fresh + man.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 一年級新生 /一年级新生 (yīniánjí xīnshēng) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Chinese Mandarin: 新生 (xīnshēng) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大一 (dàyī) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大一生 (dàyīshēng) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Chinese Mandarin: 新鮮人 /新鲜人 (xīnxiānrén) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Danish: rus — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Dutch: feut — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Dutch: eerstejaars — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Dutch: schacht — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Finnish: fuksi — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • French: bizut — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • French: bizuth — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • French: bleu — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • French: bleue — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • German: Erstsemester — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • German: Ersti — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Hungarian: elsőéves — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Hungarian: gólya — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Italian: matricola — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Japanese: 新入生 (shinnyūsei) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Japanese: 一年生 (ichinensei) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Kazakh: бірінші курс студенті (bırınşı kurs studentı) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Korean: 신입생 (sinipsaeng) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Korean: 일학년 (ilhangnyeon) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Macedonian: бруцош (brucoš) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Norwegian: første klasse — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Norwegian: førstis — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Polish: pierwszak — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Portuguese: calouro — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Portuguese: caloiro — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Portuguese: bicho — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Russian: первоку́рсник (pervokúrsnik) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Russian: первоку́рсница (pervokúrsnica) — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Slovene: bruc — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Spanish: novato — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Spanish: mechón — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Spanish: cachimbo — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Swedish: förstaårselev — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Swedish: recentior — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Tagalog: untaunan — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Thai: น้องใหม่ — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Welsh: glasfyfyriwr — a person of either sex entering the first year of an institution
  • Danish: grønskolling — novice; one in the rudiments of knowledge
  • Dutch: beginneling — novice; one in the rudiments of knowledge
  • German: Neuling — novice; one in the rudiments of knowledge
  • Polish: nowicjusz — novice; one in the rudiments of knowledge
Real reading context

freshman in complete knowledge articles