Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

illiterate

[ih-lit-er-it]

adjective

  1. unable to read and write.

    an illiterate group.

  2. having or demonstrating very little or no education.

  3. showing lack of culture, especially in language and literature.

  4. displaying a marked lack of knowledge in a particular field.

    He is musically illiterate.



noun

  1. an illiterate person.

illiterate

/ ɪˈɪəɪ /

adjective

  1. unable to read and write

  2. violating accepted standards in reading and writing

    an illiterate scrawl

  3. uneducated, ignorant, or uncultured

    scientifically illiterate

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an illiterate person

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • illiterately adverb
  • illiterateness noun
  • semi-illiterate adjective
  • semi-illiterately adverb
  • semi-illiterateness noun
  • ˈٱٱ adverb
  • ˈٱ noun
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of illiterate1

First recorded in 1550–60, illiterate is from the Latin word ٱٳܲ unlettered. See il- 2, literate
Discover More

Synonym Study

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

A high number of pupils at the secondary school are "functionally illiterate", meaning they have a reading age well below average when they start Year 7.

From

In the novel, Franklin D. Roosevelt loses the Democratic presidential nomination to Buzz Windrip, who is described as “vulgar, almost illiterate, a public liar easily discredited,” but wins the election in a landslide.

From

Only the math illiterate would continue to present this as a mandate.

From

You would have to be culturally illiterate to be unfamiliar with Michael Jordan.

From

And, it added, the savings Texas sought were “wholly insubstantial in light of the costs involved to these children, the State, and the Nation” of creating “a subclass of illiterates within our boundaries.”

From

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


illiteracyilliterati