ignorant

American  

[ig-ner-uhnt] / ˈɪg nər ənt /

adjective

1. lacking in knowledge or training; unlearned.

   Although he was an ignorant man, he was very excited to learn.

   Synonyms:

   untaught, untutored, uninstructed

   Antonyms:

   literate

2. lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact.

   I admit I'm entirely ignorant of quantum physics.

   Synonyms:

   unenlightened

   Antonyms:

   learned

3. uninformed; unaware.

   You'd have to be pretty ignorant not to have heard this news.

4. due to or showing lack of knowledge or training.

   Everyone makes an ignorant statement or two when they're first starting out.

---

ignorant British  

/ ˈɪɡnərənt /

adjective

1. lacking in knowledge or education; unenlightened

2. lacking in awareness or knowledge (of)

   ignorant of the law

3. resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or awareness

   an ignorant remark

---

Commonly Confused

See stupid ( def. ).

Synonym Usage

Ignorant, illiterate, unlettered, uneducated mean lacking in knowledge or in training. Ignorant may mean knowing little or nothing, or it may mean uninformed about a particular subject: An ignorant person can be dangerous. I confess I'm ignorant of mathematics. Illiterate originally meant lacking a knowledge of literature or similar learning, but is most often applied now to one unable to read or write: necessary training for illiterate soldiers. Unlettered emphasizes the idea of being without knowledge of literature: unlettered though highly trained in science. Uneducated refers especially to lack of schooling or to lack of access to a body of knowledge equivalent to that learned in schools: uneducated but highly intelligent. None of these words mean "lacking in intelligence."

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonignorant
  adjective
• self-ignorant
  adjective
• unignorant
  adjective
• nonignorantly
  adverb
• quasi-ignorantly
  adverb
• quasi-ignorant
  adjective
• superignorant
  adjective
• ignorantly
  adverb
• superignorantly
  adverb
• unignorantly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of ignorant

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English ignora(u)nt, from Latin ignōrant-, stem of ignōrāns “not knowing,” present participle of ignōrāre “to not know”; see ignore ( def. ), -ant ( def. )

Explanation

If you make an ignorant comment, your listeners might laugh at you, might get mad at you, or they might patiently instruct you in the ways that you are uninformed. People can be generally ignorant, meaning that they are uneducated and lacking in sophistication. Or people can be ignorant of specific types of information. In fact, we all are. For example, most of us are ignorant of the particulars of nuclear physics and ignorant about what it takes to be an astronaut. Sometimes people are also labeled ignorant if they are rude, inconsiderate, or narrow-minded.

Example Sentences

"I just think people are either ignorant or just lazy," he said.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

This “Animal Farm” is ignorant of the fact that kids need to be stimulated by more than scatalogical humor to actually influence their perspectives, rather than cater to their existing tastes and knowledge.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

Before he entered politics, Wilson would describe the American people as “selfish, ignorant, timid, stubborn” and “foolish.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Ohtani threw his cap and glove in a rare show of emotion, setting off a wild and sincere celebration as my ignorant self finally realized, “Hey, this is a thing.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

Wholly ignorant of prison regulations, she did not dare to give them to him under the man’s eyes.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

Related Words

• illiterate
• innocent
• naive
• oblivious
• obtuse
• uneducated
• uninformed