uneducated
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
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.
"Ramle is a mixed city - Jews and Arabs. There's no problem here, even after 7 October, but his message preys on young uneducated people."
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
“As a nation we’re sorely uneducated when it comes to financial literacy,” said Daniel Milan, managing partner at Cornerstone Financial Services.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Then, he proceeded to inform me that rather than be put off by this, I should be grateful for the new information so I could fix my error and not appear to be uneducated.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
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
“Of course, Miss Katherine,” I say, slipping into the characteristic speech patterns of an uneducated serving girl.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
