uneducated
Americanadjective
adjective
Related Words
See ignorant.
Etymology
Origin of uneducated
Explanation
Being uneducated means not having attended much school. Someone who's uneducated hasn't had a lot of formal teaching, but that doesn't mean they're not intelligent. Plenty of formally uneducated people go on to do great things and live happy lives. But if you're really curious about a subject, or you want to become a doctor, teacher, plumber, or veterinarian, you'll need to get educated by going to school or otherwise being taught. The word uneducated comes from the verb educate, "provide schooling," and its root, which means "bring out" or "lead forth."
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.
Through public-records requests, residents obtained internal messages from city officials that many in Festus find disparaging, including one referring to data-center opponents as a “sideshow of uneducated people.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026
My young and wildly financially uneducated ass took myself to Gucci.
From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026
The plight of Yemen's schools, as well as reflecting the country's humanitarian crisis, also signals difficulties for future development, hampered by an uneducated population.
From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025
He said that he was lucky to be uneducated because he spent his whole life learning.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2025
“Kya? I should have stayed uneducated? Is that what you’re saying?”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
