illiterate
Americanadjective
-
unable to read and write.
an illiterate group.
-
having or demonstrating very little or no education.
-
showing lack of culture, especially in language and literature.
-
displaying a marked lack of knowledge in a particular field.
He is musically illiterate.
noun
adjective
-
unable to read and write
-
violating accepted standards in reading and writing
an illiterate scrawl
-
uneducated, ignorant, or uncultured
scientifically illiterate
noun
Related Words
See ignorant.
Other Word Forms
- illiteracy noun
- illiterately adverb
- illiterateness noun
- semi-illiterate adjective
- semi-illiterately adverb
- semi-illiterateness noun
Etymology
Origin of illiterate
First recorded in 1550–60, illiterate is from the Latin word illiterātus unlettered. See il- 2, literate
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.
As the conversation gets rolling, she digs into her roots, explaining that her maternal grandmother was an illiterate indentured servant.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025
"Digital technology is an opportunity we cannot miss," she said, warning that "those who do not adapt risk becoming the illiterate of the 21st century".
From Barron's • Oct. 9, 2025
Only the math illiterate would continue to present this as a mandate.
From Salon • Feb. 10, 2025
People have published financial advice for generations, but vertical video apps have empowered financially illiterate creators to push their ideas directly to other financially illiterate users.
From Slate • Sep. 4, 2024
About 70 percent of people with criminal records did not complete high school, and according to at least one study, about half are functionally illiterate.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
