unlettered
Americanadjective
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not educated; uneducated; untutored; ignorant.
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not literate; illiterate.
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not marked with letters, as a tombstone.
adjective
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uneducated; illiterate
-
not marked with letters
an unlettered tombstone
Related Words
See ignorant.
Etymology
Origin of unlettered
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at un- 1, lettered
Explanation
Someone who's unlettered hasn't read many books or spent much time in school. Your unlettered cousin might not understand the Shakespearean quotes you like to throw into conversation. Use the adjective unlettered to describe a person who is uneducated or ignorant. In countries where it's difficult for girls to get an education, women end up being unlettered. It's generally harder to get a good paying job when you're unlettered. Unlettered is an anglicized form of the word illiterate, and its root is the Latin litteræ, which means "literature or books," and also "learning or schooling."
Vocabulary lists containing unlettered
Their Eyes Were Watching God
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Latin Love, Vol III: littera
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Henry V
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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.
Unlettered and unskilled, Lee compared himself favorably with the great men whose biographies he read, such as Mao Tse-tung and John F. Kennedy.
From Time Magazine Archive
Unlettered Jesus realized truth beyond the comprehension of many learned doctors.
From The Religion of the Samurai A Study of Zen Philosophy and Discipline in China and Japan by Nukariya, Kaiten
Yet the Lettered and the Unlettered powers are at swords' points; and very old and bitter foemen, too, they are.
From Neghborly Poems and Dialect Sketches by Riley, James Whitcomb
A simple sailor, lowly born, Unlettered and unknown, Who toils for bread from early mom Till half the night has flown!
From The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Gilbert, W. S. (William Schwenck), Sir
Unlettered as he was and unpolished, he was still in some most important points a gentleman.
From The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 1 by Macaulay, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
