Illiterate Definition
ĭ-lĭtər-ĭt
illiterates
adjective
Ignorant; uneducated; esp., not knowing how to read or write.
Webster's New World
Having or showing limited knowledge, experience, or culture, esp. in some particular field.
Musically illiterate.
Webster's New World
Having little or no formal education.
American Heritage
Marked by inferiority to an expected standard of familiarity with language and literature.
An illiterate magazine.
American Heritage
Violating accepted usage in language.
An illiterate sentence.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
noun
illiterates
An illiterate person; esp., a person who does not know how to read or write.
Webster's New World
People who are illiterate, considered as a group.
American Heritage
An illiterate person, one not able to read.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
- nonreader
- illiterate person
Other Word Forms of Illiterate
Noun
Singular:
illiteratePlural:
illiteratesOrigin of Illiterate
-
Recorded in English since 1556, from Latin illitteratus (“unlearned, ignorant”), itself from in- (“un-”) + litteratus (“furnished with letters”) (from littera (“letter, character”)).
From Wiktionary
-
Middle English from Latin illīterātus in- not in–1 līterātus literate literate
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to illiterate using the buttons below.