illiterate

adjective

il·lit·er·ate (ˌ)i(l)-ˈli-t(ə-)rət

Synonyms of illiterate next

: having little or no education

especially : unable to read or write

an illiterate population

: showing or marked by a lack of acquaintance with the fundamentals of a particular field of knowledge

musically illiterate

: violating approved patterns of speaking or writing

: showing or marked by a lack of familiarity with language and literature

an illiterate magazine

illiterate noun

illiterately adverb

illiterateness noun

Did you know?

Illiterate, Aliterate, and Innumerate

Illiterate may be used in both specific and general senses. When used specifically, it refers to the inability to read or write. In a more general sense, illiterate may signify a lack of familiarity with some body of knowledge (as in being "musically illiterate") or indicate a lack of competence in or familiarity with literature.

Illiteracy may be contrasted with aliteracy, which is “the quality or state of being able to read but uninterested in doing so.” And in case you were wondering, a person who is unable to understand or perform basic mathematics, as opposed to reading, is innumerate.

Choose the Right Synonym for illiterate

ignorant, illiterate, unlettered, untutored, unlearned mean not having knowledge.

ignorant may imply a general condition or it may apply to lack of knowledge or awareness of a particular thing.

an ignorant fool

ignorant of nuclear physics

illiterate applies to either an absolute or a relative inability to read and write.

much of the population is still illiterate

unlettered implies ignorance of the knowledge gained by reading.

an allusion meaningless to the unlettered

untutored may imply lack of schooling in the arts and ways of civilization.

strange monuments built by an untutored people

unlearned suggests ignorance of advanced subjects.

poetry not for academics but for the unlearned masses

Example Sentences

Constantine is listed in the 1870 census as illiterate; 10 years later, he had learned to read and write. And when, in 1906, the local "colored school" was slated for destruction, Constantine arranged to save it by having it moved to this property. —

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Wall Street Journal, 1 Feb. 2006

Martin is not illiterate but I think close to it. I never saw him read a newspaper, for instance. —

Hayden Carruth, Reluctantly, 1998

In a time when nearly everyone was illiterate, before newspapers, radio, and television, how could the religious and iconographic detail of these apparitions have been so similar? —

Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996

She didn't want anyone to know that she was illiterate. She is politically illiterate and has never voted in an election. He's illiterate when it comes to computers. See More

Recent Examples on the Web In a town where executives and especially agents are often illiterate about the history of TV and movies, Mr. Sarandos is an unabashed fan. —

New York Times, 28 May 2022 At its center was a young charming illiterate kleptomaniac — a hero for the times — Steve Jones, who became in his own words, the 94th greatest guitarist of all time. —

Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2022 Their unlikely collaboration yielded one of the great Broadway shows of the latter 20th century, featuring important lead performances from Mandy Patinkin (as Seurat) and Bernadette Peters (as his frustrated, illiterate mistress, Dot); yet mounting Sunday was not without its difficulties. —

Marley Marius, Vogue, 5 Aug. 2021 The wife, who is often illiterate, is kept under constant surveillance to keep control over her, damaging her psychologically. —

Sameer Yasir, New York Times, 13 June 2023 Lawyers from the federal public defender’s office said Barela was homeless, illiterate and mentally ill. —

Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Dec. 2022 Many of the elderly are illiterate, and speak only Ixil or little Spanish. —

Leila Miller, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2023 Tisius' lawyers have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to block the execution, alleging in their appeals that a juror at a sentencing hearing was illiterate, in violation of Missouri law. —

Jim Salter, ajc, 6 June 2023 Before its founding, one in three adults in Houston was considered functionally illiterate. —

Brittanie Shey, Chron, 16 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'illiterate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.