unlearned
Americanadjective
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not learned; not scholarly or erudite.
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uneducated; untaught; unschooled; ignorant.
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not acquired by instruction, study, etc.
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known without being learned.
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of or relating to uneducated persons.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unlearned
First recorded in 1350–1400, unlearned is from the Middle English word unlerned. See un- 1, learned
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.
Mr. Vance has no ill words for the unlearned fundamentalism in which his grandmother raised him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
This is learned behavior and can be unlearned.
From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2024
“Artists should have unlearned having one platform being their main vehicle,” Flanagan said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2024
They have unlearned how to do anything but hold each other for time, fatally unaware of how much the other fighter has left in the tank.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2023
The elderly teacher was a man without learning, without the wisdom that some unlearned men acquire with their years, without even the saving grace of kindness.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
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.
