nonliterate

[non-lit-er-it]

adjective

Anthropology.

1. preliterate.

Other Word Forms

• nonliteracy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonliterate¹

First recorded in 1945–50; non- + literate

Example Sentences

Such a practice would have been especially useful in nonliterate societies where knowledge was transmitted orally.

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In nonliterate societies, minstrels occupy a place of power, both as guards of the people’s history and remodelers of the myths they tell.

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“The big issue with a project of this sort is that these are nonliterate people,” he said.

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He was less interested in prehistory and in simpler, nonliterate societies.

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More quickly: The child who learns to read about his nonliterate ancestors necessarily separates himself from their way of life.

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Related Words

• crude 
• rough 
• rudimentary 
• simple 
• uncivilized