journeyman
/'dʤə:nimən/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: - A skilled worker who has completed an apprenticeship and is fully qualified in a trade or craft, but who works for wages under the supervision of a master craftsman. - (Figurative) A reliable and competent, though not necessarily exceptional, worker in any field.
Usage
A "journeyman" specifically refers to a worker who is no longer an apprentice but is not yet a master. The term is most commonly associated with traditional skilled trades (e.g., carpentry, plumbing, electrical work). It implies proven skill and the ability to work independently on standard tasks.
Examples
- After seven years of training, he became a journeyman electrician and joined a local firm.
- The guild certified him as a journeyman carpenter, allowing him to seek paid employment anywhere in the country.
- (Figurative) In his long career, he was a dependable journeyman actor, appearing in countless supporting roles.
Advanced Usage
- "Journeyman level": Describing a stage of competence where one is proficient but not yet an expert or innovator.
- Her coding skills are at a solid journeyman level; she can implement features reliably but doesn't yet design complex architectures.
- Used historically to describe a worker who was literally qualified to travel () from town to town to find work.
Variants and Related Words
- Journeywork (noun, archaic): Work done by a journeyman; competent but routine work.
- The restoration involved careful journeyman work on the historic moldings.
Synonyms
- Artisan: A worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand. (Emphasizes craftsmanship more than employment status.)
- Craftsman: A person who is skilled in a particular craft. (Similar to artisan, often used interchangeably with journeyman in context.)
- Tradesman: A person engaged in trading or, in British English, a skilled worker. (Broader, can include shopkeepers.)
Antonyms
- Apprentice: A person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer.
- Master: A worker fully qualified to teach others and run their own business in a trade.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- Journeyman years: The period spent working as a journeyman, often involving travel and varied experience to build skill before becoming a master.
- During his journeyman years, he worked on construction sites across three states.
- Journeyman performance: A competent, workmanlike, but unspectacular performance.
- The team gave a journeyman performance—efficient enough to win, but not exciting to watch.
Noun
- a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft