uninitiated

/ˈʌnəˌnɪʃiˈeɪdɪd/

Someone who's uninitiated is inexperienced or lacking an insider's knowledge of a subject. For the uninitiated viewer, experimental films are just plain strange.

If you come into a new situation without any background information or direct experience, you're uninitiated. An uninitiated guest of the Queen will be confused about when to bow or curtsy and which fork to use at lunch. For an uninitiated reader, the names and faces in a celebrity gossip magazine will be meaningless. To be initiated is to have secret or special knowledge. Add the prefix un-, and you get this adjective meaning "lacking knowledge."

Definitions of uninitiated

1. adjective

   not initiated; deficient in relevant experience
   “it seemed a bizarre ceremony to uninitiated western eyes”

   synonyms: naive, uninitiate

   inexperienced, inexperient

   lacking practical experience or training