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.

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

单词	illiterates
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 illiterates noun plural of illiterate as in ignoramuses Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance ignoramuses lowbrows ignorami philistines know-nothings imbeciles idiots morons asses anti-intellectuals dolts fools dunces dopes blockheads donkeys jackasses knuckleheads numskulls numbskulls pinheads dummies nitwits goons fatheads hammerheads half-wits dodos dumbbells dodoes Antonyms & Near Antonyms intellects brains thinkers polymaths geniuses intellectuals wizards genii brainiacs highbrows whizzes blues polyhistors bluestockings Renaissance men wizzes Renaissance women See More
随便看	Nile goose nile green Nile perch niles Niles nilgai nilgais nilgaus nilghai nilghais nilghaus nilghiri nettle Nilgiri Hills Nilgiri nettle nill nilled nilling nills nilly nilly-willy Nilo-Hamite Nilo-Hamitic nilometer nilometric Nilot

illiterate

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing illiterate

Kids Definition

adjective

noun

noun