illiterate

[ ih-lit-er-it ]

/ ɪˈlɪt ər ɪt /

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See synonyms for: illiterate / illiterates / illiterateness 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.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of illiterate

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

synonym study for illiterate

1. See ignorant.

OTHER WORDS FROM illiterate

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH illiterate

illiterate , innumerate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use illiterate in a sentence

Proust has to be corrected in one way: It's not "a few illiterates" who care only for political agreement.
David's Book Club: Within a Budding Grove|David Frum|July 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And I think there are people who are just moral illiterates.
Ordinary Monsters|Richard Cohen|December 11, 2008|DAILY BEAST
He wished, I imagine, to give some idea to the young illiterates of the simple laws of motion and force.
Prince Zaleski|M.P. Shiel
Our illiterates are largely foreigners who have not been in our country long enough to become educated.
Paul and the Printing Press|Sara Ware Bassett

Certainly to supply only about one-half as many illiterates per hundred as the Germans is a notable record.
Bohemia under Hapsburg Misrule|Various
In 1900 the percentage of illiterates among the Bohemians entering the United States was 3.
Bohemia under Hapsburg Misrule|Various
But as construed and enforced it is not confined to illiterates but to persons of intelligence as well.
The Facts of Reconstruction|John R. Lynch

British Dictionary definitions for illiterate

illiterate

/ (ɪˈlɪtərɪt) /

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 forms of illiterate

illiteracy 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

illiterate

Origin of illiterate

synonym study for illiterate

OTHER WORDS FROM illiterate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH illiterate

Words related to illiterate

How to use illiterate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for illiterate

Derived forms of illiterate