literate
Americanadjective
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- knowledgeable, well-informed
-
having knowledge or skill in a specified field.
Is she computer literate? The boss needs a computer‑literate assistant.
-
having an education; educated.
- Synonyms:
- knowledgeable, well-informed
noun
-
a person who can read and write.
-
a learned person.
adjective
-
able to read and write
-
educated; learned
-
used to words rather than numbers as a means of expression Compare numerate
noun
Other Word Forms
- antiliterate adjective
- antiliterately adverb
- literately adverb
- unliterate adjective
Etymology
Origin of literate
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin līterātus, litterātus learned, scholarly. See letter 1, -ate 1
Explanation
If you're literate you can read and write, and since you're reading this, that's what you are. Literate can also mean more than just being able to read and write, but being really fluent in a field. If you're "computer literate," you know how to use a computer with ease. If you're up on the latest advances in science, you're "scientifically literate." If people describe you admiringly as literate, they think you're widely read and know a lot about lots of different fields. The opposite of literate is illiterate.
Vocabulary lists containing literate
March: Book Two
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American Street
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"Shelter" by Harlan Coben, Chapters 1–6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But he also recognises security and privacy issues and the dangers that those "who are not digitally literate can easily be scammed".
From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026
They want to graduate functionally literate young people, not hand kids a diploma that says they showed up for class for 12 years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026
Now, women are universally literate and make up a majority of university students.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
They also reported practices restricting online bookings to mornings and said that less digitally literate people find the system hard to navigate.
From BBC • Dec. 3, 2025
While it never pays to generalize, those who appear not to be the most computer literate often rely on keeping old- fashioned notes so that they don’t forget stuff like user names and passwords.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
