literate

[ lit-er-it ]

/ ˈlɪt ər ɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR literate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

able to read and write.

having or showing knowledge of literature, writing, etc.; literary; well-read.

characterized by skill, lucidity, polish, or the like: His writing is literate but cold and clinical.

having knowledge or skill in a specified field: Is she computer literate? The boss needs a computer‐literate assistant.

having an education; educated.

noun

a person who can read and write.

a learned person.

Words nearby literate

literalize, literally, literary, literary agent, literary executor, literate, literati, literatim, literation, literator, literature

Origin of literate

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin līterātus, litterātus learned, scholarly. See letter¹, -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR literate

3, 5 well-informed, knowledgeable.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR literate ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM literate

lit·er·ate·ly, adverban·ti·lit·er·ate, adjective, nounan·ti·lit·er·ate·ly, adverbun·lit·er·ate, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for literate

Pointing out that Nick Denton writes and speaks like a literate adult and not like a 14-year-old in remedial English.
Rage Against GamerGate’s Hate Machine: What I Got For Speaking Up|Arthur Chu|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That would be fascism—but the “eloquent” and literate cadena is freedom.
The Stupidest Hugo Chávez Hagiographies From the Yanquis Who Loved Him|Michael Moynihan|March 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But only the literate imagination can bring them back to life.
Writing For Teens Vs. Adults: Rowling As Case Study|Seth Lerer|October 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Her humor was New York humor, layered and tangy with irony; chewy and Jewish and deadpan and literate.
Remembering Nora Ephron as Our Dorothy Parker, but More|Stephen Schiff|June 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Only 13 percent of women are literate (compared with almost 33 percent of men).
Afghan Women Fear Backsliding As President Karzai Negotiates With Taliban|Magsie Hamilton-Little|February 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Such of them as were literate enough to send in their votes were almost unanimously against a change.
The American Language|Henry L. Mencken
And only the other day a literate man from Saratoff called on me who had evidently gone out of his mind over this very question.
The Kingdom of God is Within You, What is Art|Lyof N. Tolstoi
Literacy, as a socially encompassing ideal, states that people should be literate because people think in language.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
Literacy forces certain assumptions upon us: Literate parents educate literate children.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
Pink-faced, lightly wrinkled, Joe could shift at will from a glorified valet to a literate old man.
The Trial of Callista Blake|Edgar Pangborn

British Dictionary definitions for literate

literate

/ (ˈlɪtərɪt) /

adjective

able to read and write

educated; learned

used to words rather than numbers as a means of expressionCompare numerate

noun

a literate person

Derived forms of literate

literately, adverb

Word Origin for literate

C15: from Latin litterātus learned. See letter

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

literate

adjective

noun

Words related to literate

Words nearby literate

Origin of literate

SYNONYMS FOR literate

OTHER WORDS FROM literate

Examples from the Web for literate

British Dictionary definitions for literate

adjective

noun

Derived forms of literate

Word Origin for literate