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Synonyms

ignorance

American  
[ig-ner-uhns] / ˈɪg nər əns /

noun

  1. the state or fact of being ignorant; lack of knowledge, learning, information, etc.


ignorance British  
/ ˈɪɡnərəns /

noun

  1. lack of knowledge, information, or education; the state of being ignorant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • self-ignorance noun

Etymology

Origin of ignorance

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English word from Latin word ignōrantia. See ignore, -ance

Compare meaning

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Because Sarah has this wealth of knowledge and she's learning how much people don't know through talking to me, I like to think my ignorance in the DIY arena is helping us, inadvertently," Wortsman said.

From BBC

Perry "observed everything about Japan from a position of almost total ignorance of the country", said Jessamyn R. Abel, professor of Asian studies at Penn State University.

From Barron's

In the long term, they rely on ignorance — an erasure of knowledge to leave people believing that there was ever anything different than what is.

From Los Angeles Times

As I reported earlier, however, their efforts to tell it like it is were confounded by their own ignorance.

From Los Angeles Times

American economist Anthony Downs called this “rational ignorance,” and it is made worse by complex laws and bureaucracy that few people fully understand.

From Salon