ignoramus

American  

[ig-nuh-rey-muhs, -ram-uhs] / ˌɪg nəˈreɪ məs, -ˈræm əs /

noun

plural

ignoramuses

1. an extremely ignorant person.

   Synonyms:

   simpleton, know-nothing, dunce, fool

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ignoramus British  

/ ˌɪɡnəˈreɪməs /

noun

1. an ignorant person; fool

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Etymology

Origin of ignoramus

1570–80; < Latin ignōrāmus we ignore (1st person plural present indicative of ignōrāre to be ignorant of, ignore ); hence name of an ignorant lawyer in the play Ignoramus (1615) by the English playwright G. Ruggle, whence current sense

Explanation

If you've ever been afraid to speak up in class, you might be worried that you'll look like an ignoramus, or an uneducated, ignorant person. Calling someone an ignoramus is an insult — it's a colorful way to comment on a person's ignorance or stupidity. The word comes right from the Latin ignoramus, literally "we do not know," which was a legal term in the 16th century that could be used during a trial when the prosecution presented insufficient evidence. After George Ruggle's 1615 play "Ignoramus", it came into popular use to mean "fool" or "dunce."

Example Sentences

Before the videos were taken down, Stephen Ignoramus had at least 4,400 subscribers on YouTube.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 6, 2021

“At approximately 01:29, Ignoramus appears on camera, addressing viewers, stating: ‘Alright, what’s up y’all?

From Seattle Times • Jul. 6, 2021

Just fires messaging the slow apocalypse brought on as we call out Mother Nature by rebranding ourselves as "Homo Ignoramus."

From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2017

Ignoramus, first popularized in England in the 1600s as a synonym for dunce, is Latin for "we do not know."

From Time Magazine Archive

Ay, do, call up a Jury of your Female Neighbours, they'll be for me, d'ye see, bring in the Bill Ignoramus, though I am no very true blue Protestant neither; therefore dispatch, or— L. Gal.

From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume II by Summers, Montague