illiterate

[ih-lit-er-it]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR illiterate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

an illiterate person.

Nearby words

Origin of illiterate

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

SYNONYMS FOR illiterate

1. See ignorant.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR illiterate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

il·lit·er·ate·ly, adverbil·lit·er·ate·ness, nounsem·i-il·lit·er·ate, adjectivesem·i-il·lit·er·ate·ly, adverb

sem·i-il·lit·er·ate·ness, noun

Can be confusedillegible illiterate unreadableilliterate innumerate

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

Examples from the Web for illiterate

Her mother was illiterate, but she secured a tutor for both her sons and her daughters, and Juana could read by the age of 3.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun|Katie Baker|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An ICRW survey in Afghanistan in 2010 found that 71 percent of parents who married off their daughters were illiterate.
The Sad Hidden Plight of Child Grooms|Nina Strochlic|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Keep in mind that in Nigeria, 51 percent of the 170 million people are illiterate.
How We Stop the Next Boko Haram|Dean Obeidallah|May 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Nightman Cometh An illiterate janitor writes a musical to woo a woman who has a restraining order against him.
Why ‘It’s Always Sunny’ Is Funny: An Examination of Scenes, Stripped of Context|Caitlin Dickson|November 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST

See what Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and company think about being unattractive, unathletic, illiterate voyeurs.
Naked Subway Man, Chris Christie, ‘Get Lucky’ & More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|June 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Their homeless and illiterate condition rendered them comparatively helpless and dependent.
The Choctaw Freedmen|Robert Elliott Flickinger
In many States, assistance is rendered to the illiterate or the blind.
Elements of Civil Government|Alexander L. Peterman
Of course these illiterate foreign laborers are, from a eugenic point of view, not wholly bad.
Applied Eugenics|Paul Popenoe and Roswell Hill Johnson
Beg pardon, Madam, I am unfortunate in my subjects—had no idea you were specially interested in illiterate peasants.
Merkland|Mrs. Oliphant
"That makes me think of the illiterate preacher I heard of, who lived in the northern part of the State," said Larkin.
The Kentucky Ranger|Edward T. Curnick

British Dictionary definitions for illiterate

illiterate

adjective

unable to read and write

violating accepted standards in reading and writingan illiterate scrawl

uneducated, ignorant, or unculturedscientifically illiterate

noun

an illiterate person

Derived Formsilliteracy or illiterateness, nounilliterately, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for illiterate

illiterate

adj.

early 15c., "uneducated, unable to read (originally of Latin)," from Latin illiteratus "unlearned, unlettered, ignorant; without culture, inelegant," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + literatus, literally "furnished with letters" (see literate). As a noun meaning "illiterate person" from 1620s. Hence, illiterati (1788).

illiterate

adjective

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of illiterate

Examples from the Web for illiterate

illiterate

adjective

noun

illiterate