illiteracy

[ ih-lit-er-uh-see ]

/ ɪˈlɪt ər ə si /

a lack of ability to read and write.

the state of being illiterate; lack of any or enough education.

a mistake in writing or speaking, felt to be characteristic of an illiterate or semiliterate person: a letter that was full of illiteracies.

RELATED WORDS

First recorded in 1650–60; illiter(ate) + -acy

Related formssem·i-il·lit·er·a·cy, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

They suffer sky-high maternal mortality rates, illiteracy, and a daily struggle against violence and poverty.
The Sad Hidden Plight of Child Grooms|Nina Strochlic|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is all a result of segregated communities where illiteracy is rife and the men think they can get away with anything.
The Psychology of Sex Slave Rings|Charlotte Lytton|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Illiteracy, a problem for Egypt long before the 2011 revolution, is currently estimated at 30 percent nationwide.
Egypt’s Schools Deteriorate and Many Seek Education Abroad|Vivian Salama|December 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Why, for example, are poverty and corruption, poor health and illiteracy, so stubbornly endemic?
The Absurd Case Against Sonia Gandhi|Dilip D’Souza|October 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST

It is not poverty, illiteracy, or the lack of democratic institutions.
We Should Have Seen These Protests Coming|Andrew C. McCarthy|September 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Is illiteracy so much more dangerous to society than destitution?
Paris and the Social Revolution|Alvan Francis Sanborn
Illiteracy was common enough and might be overlooked, but a mixed marriage was unthinkable.
My Lady of the Chimney Corner|Alexander Irvine
Illiteracy and slow mentality lower the general level of intelligence.
Society|Henry Kalloch Rowe
This civilization of illiteracy is one of many literacies, each with its own characteristics and rules of functioning.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
Put down in each State the illiteracy, and make the comparison.
American Missionary, Volume 43, No. 2, February, 1889|Various

Word Origin and History for illiteracy

1650s, from illiterate + -cy. Earlier in this sense was illiterature (1590s).