illiterate

adjective

il·lit·er·ate (ˌ)i(l)-ˈli-t(ə-)rət How to pronounce illiterate (audio)

: having little or no education

especially : unable to read or write

an illiterate population

: showing or marked by a lack of acquaintance with the fundamentals of a particular field of knowledge

musically illiterate

: violating approved patterns of speaking or writing

: showing or marked by a lack of familiarity with language and literature

an illiterate magazine

illiterate noun

illiterately adverb

illiterateness noun

Did you know?

Illiterate, Aliterate, and Innumerate

Illiterate may be used in both specific and general senses. When used specifically, it refers to the inability to read or write. In a more general sense, illiterate may signify a lack of familiarity with some body of knowledge (as in being "musically illiterate") or indicate a lack of competence in or familiarity with literature.

Illiteracy may be contrasted with aliteracy, which is “the quality or state of being able to read but uninterested in doing so.” And in case you were wondering, a person who is unable to understand or perform basic mathematics, as opposed to reading, is innumerate.

Example Sentences

Constantine is listed in the 1870 census as illiterate; 10 years later, he had learned to read and write. And when, in 1906, the local "colored school" was slated for destruction, Constantine arranged to save it by having it moved to this property.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Wall Street Journal, 1 Feb. 2006 Martin is not illiterate but I think close to it. I never saw him read a newspaper, for instance.

Hayden Carruth, Reluctantly, 1998 In a time when nearly everyone was illiterate, before newspapers, radio, and television, how could the religious and iconographic detail of these apparitions have been so similar?

Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996 She didn't want anyone to know that she was illiterate. She is politically illiterate and has never voted in an election. He's illiterate when it comes to computers. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Conversely, only 36% of men receive no education, and 46.7% of men are illiterate.

Jasmine Browley, Essence, 14 July 2022 Jude, who like all Lapvonians is illiterate, beats Marek and throw shovels at him and knocks out his teeth.

New York Times, 13 June 2022 The day of the nikah, my sister and I are frantic helping to fix everything that has been done wrong by the tradesmen and laborers who have set it all up with the crooked eye and cheerful laziness of the illiterate.

Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 4 Jan. 2022 The era resists surety: During that time in Europe—and these references are almost always made to Europe—the majority of people, including virtually all peasants, were illiterate.

Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 6 May 2022 There’s also the fact that, in Cleveland, sixty-six per cent of residents are functionally illiterate, according to a Case Western Reserve University study; in certain neighborhoods, the rate is above ninety per cent.

Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2022 Given that Akbar was illiterate (due in part to dyslexia), Abu’l-Fazl must surely have written his history to be read aloud, which makes the music of the language all the more important.

Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 7 Jan. 2022 From the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, millions of Spaniards emigrated to the Americas, among them 350,000 Asturians alone, a large number of whom were illiterate.

John Oseid, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2021 The baseball player was, according to ESPN, illiterate and avoided signing documents, with his wife mostly forging his signature.

Lindsay Kimble, PEOPLE.com, 8 Oct. 2021 See More

illiterate 1 of 2

adjective

as in ungrammatical

violating approved patterns of speaking and writing most of the messages left on the Web site's bulletin board are illiterate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

ungrammatical
substandard
unidiomatic
nonstandard

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grammatical
idiomatic

as in ignorant

lacking in education or the knowledge gained from books offered menus with pictures, presumably for the many illiterate people who must eat there

Synonyms & Similar Words

ignorant
uneducated
unschooled
inexperienced
untutored
nonliterate
unlettered
dark
untaught
benighted
unlearned
uninstructed
simple
semiliterate
rude
innocent
unread
naive
uncultured
unknowledgeable
unsophisticated
stupid
analphabetic
foolish
unskilled
innumerate
artless
dumb
imbecile
idiotic
functionally illiterate
uncultivated
untrained
philistine
lowbrow
moronic
callow
green
witless
naïve
brainless
imbecilic
silly
idiotical
senseless
raw

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

literate
educated
intelligent
knowledgeable
brilliant
schooled
smart
expert
lettered
trained
experienced
erudite
intellectual
scholarly
well-read
learned
well-informed
cultured
sophisticated
aware
cultivated
highbrow
familiar
acquainted
polymathic
polymath
polyhistoric

illiterate

2 of 2

noun

as in ignoramus

Synonyms & Similar Words

ignoramus
lowbrow
philistine
know-nothing
imbecile
idiot
moron
ass
dolt
anti-intellectual
donkey
dunce
fool
jackass
knucklehead
blockhead
numbskull
numskull
pinhead
dope
goon
nitwit
dummy
half-wit
fathead
hammerhead
dodo
dumbbell

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

polymath
intellect
genius
brain
wizard
whiz
thinker
wiz
brainiac
intellectual
polyhistor
bluestocking
Renaissance man
highbrow
Renaissance woman
blue

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of illiterate are ignorant, unlearned, unlettered, and untutored. While all these words mean "not having knowledge," illiterate applies to either an absolute or a relative inability to read and write.

much of the population is still illiterate

While the synonyms ignorant and illiterate are close in meaning, ignorant may imply a general condition or it may apply to lack of knowledge or awareness of a particular thing.

an ignorant fool

ignorant of nuclear physics

The synonyms unlearned and illiterate are sometimes interchangeable, but unlearned suggests ignorance of advanced subjects.

poetry not for academics but for the unlearned masses

The meanings of unlettered and illiterate largely overlap; however, unlettered implies ignorance of the knowledge gained by reading.

an allusion meaningless to the unlettered

In some situations, the words untutored and illiterate are roughly equivalent. However, untutored may imply lack of schooling in the arts and ways of civilization.

strange monuments built by an untutored people

单词	illiterate
释义	illiterate adjective il·lit·er·ate (ˌ)i(l)-ˈli-t(ə-)rət 1 : having little or no education especially : unable to read or write an illiterate population 2 : showing or marked by a lack of acquaintance with the fundamentals of a particular field of knowledge musically illiterate 3 a : violating approved patterns of speaking or writing b : showing or marked by a lack of familiarity with language and literature an illiterate magazine illiterate noun illiterately adverb illiterateness noun Did you know? Illiterate, Aliterate, and Innumerate Illiterate may be used in both specific and general senses. When used specifically, it refers to the inability to read or write. In a more general sense, illiterate may signify a lack of familiarity with some body of knowledge (as in being "musically illiterate") or indicate a lack of competence in or familiarity with literature. Illiteracy may be contrasted with aliteracy, which is “the quality or state of being able to read but uninterested in doing so.” And in case you were wondering, a person who is unable to understand or perform basic mathematics, as opposed to reading, is innumerate. Synonyms ungrammatical See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Constantine is listed in the 1870 census as illiterate; 10 years later, he had learned to read and write. And when, in 1906, the local "colored school" was slated for destruction, Constantine arranged to save it by having it moved to this property. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Wall Street Journal, 1 Feb. 2006 Martin is not illiterate but I think close to it. I never saw him read a newspaper, for instance. Hayden Carruth, Reluctantly, 1998 In a time when nearly everyone was illiterate, before newspapers, radio, and television, how could the religious and iconographic detail of these apparitions have been so similar? Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996 She didn't want anyone to know that she was illiterate. She is politically illiterate and has never voted in an election. He's illiterate when it comes to computers. See More Recent Examples on the Web Conversely, only 36% of men receive no education, and 46.7% of men are illiterate. Jasmine Browley, Essence, 14 July 2022 Jude, who like all Lapvonians is illiterate, beats Marek and throw shovels at him and knocks out his teeth. New York Times, 13 June 2022 The day of the nikah, my sister and I are frantic helping to fix everything that has been done wrong by the tradesmen and laborers who have set it all up with the crooked eye and cheerful laziness of the illiterate. Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 4 Jan. 2022 The era resists surety: During that time in Europe—and these references are almost always made to Europe—the majority of people, including virtually all peasants, were illiterate. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 6 May 2022 There’s also the fact that, in Cleveland, sixty-six per cent of residents are functionally illiterate, according to a Case Western Reserve University study; in certain neighborhoods, the rate is above ninety per cent. Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2022 Given that Akbar was illiterate (due in part to dyslexia), Abu’l-Fazl must surely have written his history to be read aloud, which makes the music of the language all the more important. Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 7 Jan. 2022 From the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, millions of Spaniards emigrated to the Americas, among them 350,000 Asturians alone, a large number of whom were illiterate. John Oseid, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2021 The baseball player was, according to ESPN, illiterate and avoided signing documents, with his wife mostly forging his signature. Lindsay Kimble, PEOPLE.com, 8 Oct. 2021 See More Word History Etymology Middle English, from Latin illiteratus, from in- + litteratus literate First Known Use 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing illiterate functional illiterate functional illiterate Kids Definition illiterate 1 of 2 adjective il·lit·er·ate i-ˈli-tə-rət : unable to read or write illiterate 2 of 2 noun : a person who is unable to read or write illiterate 1 of 2 adjective 1 as in ungrammatical violating approved patterns of speaking and writing most of the messages left on the Web site's bulletin board are illiterate Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance ungrammatical substandard unidiomatic nonstandard Antonyms & Near Antonyms grammatical idiomatic 2 as in ignorant lacking in education or the knowledge gained from books offered menus with pictures, presumably for the many illiterate people who must eat there Synonyms & Similar Words ignorant uneducated unschooled inexperienced untutored nonliterate unlettered dark untaught benighted unlearned uninstructed simple semiliterate rude innocent unread naive uncultured unknowledgeable unsophisticated stupid analphabetic foolish unskilled innumerate artless dumb imbecile idiotic functionally illiterate uncultivated untrained philistine lowbrow moronic callow green witless naïve brainless imbecilic silly idiotical senseless raw Antonyms & Near Antonyms literate educated intelligent knowledgeable brilliant schooled smart expert lettered trained experienced erudite intellectual scholarly well-read learned well-informed cultured sophisticated aware cultivated highbrow familiar acquainted polymathic polymath polyhistoric See More illiterate 2 of 2 noun as in ignoramus Synonyms & Similar Words ignoramus lowbrow philistine know-nothing imbecile idiot moron ass dolt anti-intellectual donkey dunce fool jackass knucklehead blockhead numbskull numskull pinhead dope goon nitwit dummy half-wit fathead hammerhead dodo dumbbell Antonyms & Near Antonyms polymath intellect genius brain wizard whiz thinker wiz brainiac intellectual polyhistor bluestocking Renaissance man highbrow Renaissance woman blue See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of illiterate are ignorant, unlearned, unlettered, and untutored. While all these words mean "not having knowledge," illiterate applies to either an absolute or a relative inability to read and write. much of the population is still illiterate While the synonyms ignorant and illiterate are close in meaning, ignorant may imply a general condition or it may apply to lack of knowledge or awareness of a particular thing. an ignorant fool ignorant of nuclear physics The synonyms unlearned and illiterate are sometimes interchangeable, but unlearned suggests ignorance of advanced subjects. poetry not for academics but for the unlearned masses The meanings of unlettered and illiterate largely overlap; however, unlettered implies ignorance of the knowledge gained by reading. an allusion meaningless to the unlettered In some situations, the words untutored and illiterate are roughly equivalent. However, untutored may imply lack of schooling in the arts and ways of civilization. strange monuments built by an untutored people
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illiterate

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing illiterate

Kids Definition

adjective

noun

adjective

noun

Synonym Chooser