ignoramus
Americannoun
-
ignoramuses
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing ignoramus
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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.
See Examples For:
Long ago the Borat character functioned as a truth serum, the kind of amiable ignoramus people were inclined to countenance or forgive either out of politeness or a sense of superiority.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2020
The term ignoramus was written on bills of indictment when the evidence presented seemed insufficient to justify prosecution.
From Fox News ● Mar. 30, 2020
At the risk of sounding like a complete ignoramus, I learned several new words and a term which is always fun: macher, shtetl, and work blue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2019
During one editing session, something became clear to me: This adult, successful journalist was a complete ignoramus on most matters that happened to be unrelated to his field of expertise.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 26, 2018
“That ignoramus Gowon pledged a miserable, measly amount for more than two million refugees. Did he think it was chickens that died and it is the surviving relatives of those chickens who have returned home?”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
And so you get blowhards and sycophants, egoists and ignoramuses mixed in among those just striving to be dedicated public servants.
From Washington Post ● May 10, 2022
Cultural ignoramuses top Forbes' richest people lists all the time.
From Salon ● Feb. 16, 2022
Maudlin also vigorously defends philosophy against ignoramuses who ask, Why do we need philosophy?
From Scientific American ● Nov. 4, 2018
This exercise has convinced me we ought to reserve the phrase “anti-vaxxer” for that small group of committed, loud-mouthed ignoramuses who try to spread their pernicious, conspiratorial nonsense to innocent parents and children.
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2015
“The elders decided it was time. There are all kinds of silly rumors about Abba evacuating soon. Some ignoramuses even say the federal troops have entered Awka!”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
