illiterate

American  

[ih-lit-er-it] / ɪˈlɪt ər ɪt /

adjective

1. unable to read and write.

   an illiterate group.

2. having or demonstrating very little or no education.

3. showing lack of culture, especially in language and literature.

4. displaying a marked lack of knowledge in a particular field.

   He is musically illiterate.

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noun

1. an illiterate person.

illiterate British  

/ ɪˈlɪtərɪt /

adjective

1. unable to read and write

2. violating accepted standards in reading and writing

   an illiterate scrawl

3. uneducated, ignorant, or uncultured

   scientifically illiterate

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noun

1. an illiterate person

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

In her second term, she introduced a constitutional amendment to reserve 45 seats in the legislature for female MPs, and worked to educate young women - in a country where 70% of them were illiterate.

From BBC

“Without laborers,” she writes, “who were often illiterate and almost never speak for themselves in historical texts—there would have been no Mughal Empire.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Because so many incoming students were numerically illiterate, the university added a remedial class for middle- and elementary-school math.

From The Wall Street Journal

They want illiterate, groveling serfs, who live in fear and don’t stick around too long.

From Salon

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

Related Words

• ignorant
• uneducated