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
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.
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
Mr. Butler-Gallie, a parish priest in the Cotswolds in England and the author of “A Field Guide to the English Clergy,” is literate and entertaining.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
They say the people of Keeladi were literate, highly-skilled and engaged in trade across the subcontinent and abroad.
From BBC • Aug. 23, 2025
"It's plain from looking at the letters that whoever made the die wasn't literate, the letters don't bear much resemblance to Latin - they're garbage really," he explained.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2025
Cicero was literate in both Latin and Greek—a mark of cultivation and an entry to Roman high society.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
