illiterate
Meanings
Plural: illiterates
Noun
- a person unable to read
- An illiterate person, one either not able to read and write or not knowing how.
- A person ignorant about a given subject. (The relevant subject is usually named as a noun adjunct.)
Adjective
- not able to read or write
- lacking culture, especially in language and literature
Adjective Satellite
- uneducated in the fundamentals of a given art or branch of learning; lacking knowledge of a specific field
- "he is musically illiterate"
Adj
- Unable to read and write.
- Having less than an expected standard of familiarity with language and literature, or having little formal education.
- Not conforming to prescribed standards of speech or writing.
- Ignorant in a specified way or about a specified subject.
Origin / Etymology
First attested in 1425–1475, in Middle English; from Middle English illiterat(e) (“uneducated, ignorant of Latin”), borrowed from Latin illīterātus, illitterātus (“unlearned, ignorant”), itself from in- (“un-”) + līterātus, litterātus (“furnished with letters”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from lītera, littera (“letter, character”). The noun was derived from the adjective by substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).
Synonyms
analphabet, analphabetic, ignorant, illiterate person, nonreader, uncharactered, unlettered
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 10
illiterate is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordilliterate is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
illiterate is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary