literate

[ lit-er-it ]
/ ˈlɪt ər ɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR literate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

noun

a person who can read and write.
a learned person.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of literate

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

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

Words nearby literate

literalize, literally, literary, literary agent, literary executor, literate, literati, literatim, literation, literator, literature
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to literate

knowledgeable, educated, cultured, learned, lettered, scholarly, cultivated, schooled

Example sentences from the Web for literate

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