experience - Definition | Dictionary definition of experience

Definition of experience

the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities

"a man of experience"

"experience is the best teacher"

Antonyms:: inexperience
lack of experience and the knowledge and understanding derived from experience; rawness; show more antonyms...

Types:: familiarisation, familiarization
the experience of becoming familiar with something; woodcraft
skill and experience in matters relating to the woods (as hunting or fishing or camping)

the content of direct observation or participation in an event

"he had a religious experience"

"he recalled the experience vividly"

Types:: show 9 types...; hide 9 types...; reality, world
all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you; real life, real world
the practical world as opposed to the academic world; life, living
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities; re-experiencing, reliving
a recurrence of a prior experience; reminder
an experience that causes you to remember something; deja vu
the experience of thinking that a new situation had occurred before; memento, souvenir
a reminder of past events; memento mori
a reminder (as a death's head) of your mortality; shades of
something that reminds you of someone or something

Type of:: cognitive content, content, mental object
the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned

an event as apprehended

"a surprising experience"

"that painful experience certainly got our attention"

Types:: show 14 types...; hide 14 types...; appalling
an experience that appalls; augury, foretoken, preindication, sign
an event that is experienced as indicating important things to come; war cloud
an ominous sign that war threatens; omen, portent, presage, prodigy, prognostic, prognostication
a sign of something about to happen; flash, flashing
a short vivid experience; blast, good time
a highly pleasurable or exciting experience; loss
the experience of losing a loved one; near-death experience
the experience of being close to death but surviving; ordeal
a severe or trying experience; out-of-body experience
the dissociative experience of observing yourself from an external perspective as though your mind or soul had left and was observing your body; taste
a brief experience of something; time
a person's experience on a particular occasion; head trip, trip
an exciting or stimulating experience; vision
a religious or mystical experience of a supernatural appearance

Type of:: happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent
an event that happens

go or live through

Types:: show 12 types...; hide 12 types...; experience, know, live
have firsthand knowledge of states, situations, emotions, or sensations; taste
experience briefly; live over, relive
experience again, often in the imagination; endure, suffer
undergo or be subjected to; tolerate
have a tolerance for a poison or strong drug or pathogen or environmental condition; die
suffer or face the pain of death; meet, suffer
undergo or suffer; feel
undergo passive experience of:"We felt the effects of inflation"; enjoy
have for one's benefit; find, see, witness
perceive or be contemporaneous with; catch
become aware of; come
experience orgasm

have firsthand knowledge of states, situations, emotions, or sensations

Types:: taste
experience briefly; live over, relive
experience again, often in the imagination

go through (mental or physical states or experiences)

"experience vertigo"

Types:: show 6 types...; hide 6 types...; get, have, suffer, sustain
undergo (as of injuries and illnesses); break down, collapse
collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack; cramp
suffer from sudden painful contraction of a muscle; break up, collapse, crack, crack up, crock up
suffer a nervous breakdown; take
experience or feel or submit to; horripilate
have one's hair stand on end and get goosebumps

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

Types:: show 30 types...; hide 30 types...; incline
feel favorably disposed or willing; recapture
experience anew; congratulate, plume, pride
be proud of; smolder, smoulder
have strong suppressed feelings; entertain, harbor, harbour, hold, nurse
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings); cool off
feel less enamoured of something or somebody; anger, see red
become angry; bridle
anger or take offense; steam
get very angry; raise the roof
get very angry; chafe
feel extreme irritation or anger; suffer
experience (emotional) pain; agonise, agonize
suffer agony or anguish; anguish
suffer great pains or distress; lose
suffer the loss of a person through death or removal; grieve, sorrow
feel grief; fume
be mad, angry, or furious; regret, repent, rue
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about; sadden
come to feel sad; joy, rejoice
feel happiness or joy; cheer, cheer up, chirk up
become cheerful; gladden
become glad or happy; be on cloud nine, exult, jump for joy, walk on air
feel extreme happiness or elation; sympathise, sympathize
share the feelings of; understand the sentiments of; pride oneself, take pride
feel proud of; burn
feel strong emotion, especially anger or passion; die
feel indifferent towards; fly high
be elated; beam, glow, radiate, shine
experience a feeling of well-being or happiness, as from good health or an intense emotion; glow
be exuberant or high-spirited