Activity vs. Experience: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Activity refers to a specific action or task being performed, while experience denotes the knowledge or skill gained from involvement in or exposure to events.
Key Differences
An activity is a specific act or task, something one does, like jogging or painting. Experience, in contrast, is the cumulative knowledge or skill acquired through involvement in these activities over time.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Activities are often tangible and observable actions, such as participating in a sport or attending a class. Experience is intangible, encompassing the understanding and insights gained from engaging in various activities.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
An activity can be a one-time event or a repeated action, like a weekly dance class. Experience accumulates; it is the depth and breadth of understanding developed from repeated participation in activities.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Activities can be planned and structured, such as a scheduled workout session. Experience, however, is often the result of both structured activities and unplanned, spontaneous events.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
An activity is something you can initiate or stop at will, like reading a book. Experience is the ongoing process of learning and growth that results from both past and present activities.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Structure
Often planned and structured.
Results from both planned and spontaneous events.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Control
Can be initiated or stopped.
Ongoing process, less directly controllable.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Activity and Experience Definitions
Activity
Engagement in a particular event or pursuit.
The festival had a variety of activities for children.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Experience
The accumulation of knowledge or skill.
Years of experience have made him an expert.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Activity
A specific task or action.
Gardening is her favorite weekend activity.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Experience
An event or series of events participated in or lived through.
His travels in Asia were a rich learning experience.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Activity
A form of organized action.
The committee planned several fundraising activities.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Experience
Practical contact with events or facts.
She has experience in teaching music.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Activity
Physical or mental exertion.
Physical activity is essential for maintaining health.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Experience
The feeling or impression from a particular event.
The concert was an unforgettable experience.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Activity
The state of being active or operational.
Volcanic activity has increased in the area.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Experience
The apprehension of an object, thought, or emotion through the senses or mind
A child's first experience of snow.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
Active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skill
A lesson taught by experience.
A carpenter with experience in roof repair.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
An event or a series of events participated in or lived through.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
An educational process or procedure intended to stimulate learning through actual experience.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
The totality of such events in the past of an individual or group.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
To participate in personally; undergo
Experience a great adventure.
Experienced loneliness.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and direct impressions as contrasted with description or fancies; personal acquaintance; actual enjoyment or suffering.
It was an experience he would not soon forget.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
(uncountable) The state or quality of being active; activeness.
Pit row was abuzz with activity.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
(countable) A collection of events and/or activities from which an individual or group may gather knowledge, opinions, and skills.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
(countable) Something done as an action or a movement.
The activity for the morning was a walk to the store.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
(countable) Something done for pleasure or entertainment, especially one involving movement or an excursion.
An increasing number of sports activities are on offer at the university.
Quilting can be an enjoyable activity.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
The lexical aspect (aktionsart) of verbs or predicates that change over time and have no natural end point.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
(transitive) To observe certain events; undergo a certain feeling or process; or perform certain actions that may alter one or contribute to one's knowledge, opinions, or skills.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
(physics) The number of radioactive decays per unit time. Unit for it: becquerel or curie Category:en:Radioactivity
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
Trial, as a test or experiment.
She caused him to make experienceUpon wild beasts.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and direct impressions as contrasted with description or fancies; personal acquaintance; actual enjoyment or suffering.
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience.
To most men experience is like the stern lights of a ship, which illumine only the track it has passed.
When the consuls . . . came in . . . they knew soon by experience how slenderly guarded against danger the majesty of rulers is where force is wanting.
Those that undertook the religion of our Savior upon his preaching, had no experience of it.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
The state or quality of being active; nimbleness; agility; vigorous action or operation; energy; active force; as, an increasing variety of human activities.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
An act of knowledge, one or more, by which single facts or general truths are ascertained; experimental or inductive knowledge; hence, implying skill, facility, or practical wisdom gained by personal knowledge, feeling or action; as, a king without experience of war.
Whence hath the mind all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer in one word, from experience.
Experience may be acquired in two ways; either, first by noticing facts without any attempt to influence the frequency of their occurrence or to vary the circumstances under which they occur; this is observation; or, secondly, by putting in action causes or agents over which we have control, and purposely varying their combinations, and noticing what effects take place; this is experiment.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
To make practical acquaintance with; to try personally; to prove by use or trial; to have trial of; to have the lot or fortune of; to have befall one; to be affected by; to feel; as, to experience pain or pleasure; to experience poverty; to experience a change of views.
The partial failure and disappointment which he had experienced in India.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
The state of being active;
His sphere of activity
He is out of action
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
To exercise; to train by practice.
The youthful sailors thus with early careTheir arms experience, and for sea prepare.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
An organic process that takes place in the body;
Respiratory activity
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
(chemistry) the capacity of a substance to take part in a chemical reaction;
Catalytic activity
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
The content of direct observation or participation in an event;
He had a religious experience
He recalled the experience vividly
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
A process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings);
The action of natural forces
Volcanic activity
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
An event as apprehended;
A surprising experience
That painful experience certainly got our attention
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Activity
The trait of being active; moving or acting rapidly and energetically;
The level of activity declines with age
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
Go or live through;
We had many trials to go through
He saw action in Viet Nam
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
Have firsthand knowledge of states, situations, emotions, or sensations;
I know the feeling!
Have you ever known hunger?
I have lived a kind of hell when I was a drug addict
The holocaust survivors have lived a nightmare
I lived through two divorces
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
Of mental or physical states or experiences;
Get an idea
Experience vertigo
Get nauseous
Undergo a strange sensation
The chemical undergoes a sudden change
The fluid undergoes shear
Receive injuries
Have a feeling
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Experience
The conscious events that make up an individual life.
Childhood experiences greatly influence one's personality.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
How is experience different from activity?
Experience is the knowledge gained from doing activities over time.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Can activities lead to experience?
Yes, engaging in activities over time builds experience.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
What is an example of an activity?
Going for a hike or attending a workshop.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
How do activities impact experience?
They provide opportunities to gain skills and knowledge.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
How does one describe a learning experience?
As the process of gaining knowledge or understanding.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Are all activities physical?
No, activities can be mental or creative as well.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Can one have experience without activity?
Generally, experience comes from active involvement in activities.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Is watching TV an activity?
Yes, it's an activity of leisure and entertainment.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
What role do activities play in education?
They are practical tasks that facilitate learning.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
What is a professional experience?
It's the knowledge and skills gained in a professional setting.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Is reading a book an activity or an experience?
Reading is an activity; the knowledge gained is the experience.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Is travel considered an experience?
Yes, travel provides a wide range of experiences.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Are hobbies considered activities?
Yes, hobbies are activities pursued for pleasure or relaxation.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Can experiences be shared?
Yes, through storytelling or teaching, experiences can be shared.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
How is work experience beneficial?
It provides practical skills and knowledge relevant to a profession.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Does experience always increase with time?
Generally, experience grows over time with continued involvement in activities.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
How do activities contribute to personal growth?
They offer challenges and new learning opportunities.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Can activities be non-productive?
Yes, some activities might be for relaxation or leisure without tangible outcomes.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Does experience always require active participation?
Typically, active involvement is required to gain experience.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Can someone have experience in an activity they haven't done recently?
Yes, past activities contribute to cumulative experience.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 25, 2023
Share this page
Link for your blog / website
HTML
Link to share via messenger
About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
Shumaila Saeed
Dua Fatima
Hifza Nasir
