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.
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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
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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Introduction to Nonfiction and Media
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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.
Emerging during the first wave of grime, alongside artists such as Dizzee Rascal and Lethal Bizzle, he stood apart for his witty, literate style.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
For more than 50 years, with a few breaks in between, Squeeze has been making memorable tunes by marrying infectious pop melodies with sophisticated and literate lyrics, often about the complexity of relationships.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The film "mucks up Orwell", according to the Wall Street Journal,, external who surmised: "As comedy, the movie is feeble, and as allegory for the socioeconomically literate it is heavy-handed."
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Fighting back by being financially literate means a steady message of pay yourself first, live within your means and think about your future self.
From MarketWatch ● May 14, 2026
But I agree with the main idea behind the nostalgia: literate people should know how to think about grammar.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
