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

illiterates plural

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

Synonym Usage

See ignorant.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• illiteracy
  noun
• illiterateness
  noun
• semi-illiterateness
  noun
• semi-illiterate
  adjective
• illiterately
  adverb
• semi-illiterately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• illiterates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of illiterate

First recorded in 1550–60, illiterate is from the Latin word illiterātus unlettered. See il- ², literate

Explanation

You can describe a person unable to read or write as illiterate. Karaoke, which involves singing out the words to songs as they scroll across a big screen, requires the ability to read. If you’re illiterate, you won’t be able to participate. Illiterate, from the Latin illiteratus “unlearned, ignorant,” can describe someone unable to read or write, but it can also imply that a person lacks cultural awareness. However, Walt Whitman saw a unique beauty to illiteracy: “There is that indescribable freshness and unconsciousness about an illiterate person that humbles and mocks the power of the noblest expressive genius.”

Related Words

• ignorant
• uneducated