illiterate
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Related to illiterate: illiteracy
illiterate
unable to read and write; having little or no formal education: He has a lot of native intelligence but he is illiterate.
Not to be confused with:
alliterate – to use two or more words having the same initial sound, as in: Sister Suzie sews shirts for sixty-six seasick sailors.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
il·lit·er·ate
(ĭ-lĭt′ər-ĭt)adj.
1.
a. Unable to read and write.
b. Having little or no formal education.
2.
a. Marked by inferiority to an expected standard of familiarity with language and literature: an illiterate magazine.
b. Violating prescribed standards of speech or writing: a paragraph with several illiterate expressions.
3. Ignorant of the fundamentals of a given art or branch of knowledge: musically illiterate. See Usage Note at literate.
n.
1. A person who is illiterate.
2. (used with a pl. verb) People who are illiterate, considered as a group.
[Middle English, from Latin illīterātus : in-, not; see in-1 + līterātus, literate; see literate.]
il·lit′er·ate·ly adv.
il·lit′er·ate·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
illiterate
(ɪˈlɪtərɪt)adj
1. unable to read and write
2. violating accepted standards in reading and writing: an illiterate scrawl.
3. uneducated, ignorant, or uncultured: scientifically illiterate.
n
an illiterate person
ilˈliteracy, ilˈliterateness n
ilˈliterately adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
il•lit•er•ate
(ɪˈlɪt ər ɪt)adj.
1. unable to read and write.
2. having or demonstrating little education.
3. showing lack of culture.
4. displaying a marked lack of knowledge in a particular field: musically illiterate.
n. 5. an illiterate person.
[1550–60; < Latin illiterātus]
il•lit′er•ate•ly, adv.
il•lit′er•ate•ness, n.
syn: See ignorant.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | illiterate - a person unable to read analphabet, analphabetic - an illiterate person who does not know the alphabet functional illiterate - a person with some ability to read and write but not enough for daily practical needs |
Adj. | 1. | illiterate - not able to read or write uneducated - not having a good education literate - able to read and write |
2. | illiterate - uneducated in the fundamentals of a given art or branch of learning; lacking knowledge of a specific field; "she is ignorant of quantum mechanics"; "he is musically illiterate" uneducated - not having a good education | |
3. | illiterate - lacking culture, especially in language and literature literate - versed in literature; dealing with literature |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
illiterate
adjective
1. uneducated, ignorant, unlettered, unable to read and write, analphabetic A large percentage of the population is illiterate.
uneducated lettered, educated, literate
uneducated lettered, educated, literate
2. ignorant, unaware, inexperienced, blind, innocent, unconscious, in the dark, oblivious, unwitting, uninitiated, uninformed, benighted, untutored, unknowing, out of the loop, unenlightened, unschooled, unlettered, untaught Many senior managers are technologically illiterate.
ignorant aware, taught, tutored
ignorant aware, taught, tutored
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
illiterate
adjectiveWithout education or knowledge:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
أُمِّيٌّأُمّـي، لا يَعْرِف القِراءه والكِتابَهغَيْر مُتَعَلِّم
negramotnýnevzdělaný
analfabetanalfabetiskuuddannet
lukutaidotonsivistymätönkouluja käymätön
nepismen
analfabétaírástudatlantanulatlan
ólæs og óskrifandiómenntaîur
読み書きのできない
문맹의
mažaraštisneraštingasneraštingumas
analfabētisksneizglītots
analfabeetongeletterdongeletterde
negramotnýnevzdelaný
nepismen
analfabet
ไม่สามารถอ่านและเขียนได้
cahilokuma yazması olmayanokuması yazması olmayan
mù chữ
illiterate
[ɪˈlɪtərɪt]A. ADJ [person] (= unable to read or write) → analfabeto; (= ignorant) → ignorante, inculto; [letter, handwriting] → plagado de faltas
to be functionally illiterate → ser un analfabeto funcional
he's sexually illiterate → en materia sexual está en mantillas
to be functionally illiterate → ser un analfabeto funcional
he's sexually illiterate → en materia sexual está en mantillas
B. N → analfabeto/a m/f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
illiterate
[ɪˈlɪtərət] adj [person] → illettré(e)
[letter, writing] → plein(e) de fautesill luck n → malchance fill-mannered [ˌɪlˈmænərd] adj [person, behaviour] → inconvenant(e)
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
illiterate
adj → des Schreibens und Lesens unkundig; country, population → analphabetisch; (= badly-educated, uncultured) person → ungebildet, unwissend; letter → voller Fehler; he’s illiterate → er ist Analphabet; to be functionally illiterate → praktisch nicht lesen und schreiben können; economically/musically illiterate → völlig unwissend, wenn es um Wirtschaft/Musik geht; many people are computer-illiterate → viele Menschen kennen sich nicht mit Computern aus
n → Analphabet(in) m(f)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
illiterate
[ɪˈlɪt/ərɪt]1. adj (person) → analfabeta, illetterato/a; (letter) → sgrammaticato/a
2. n → analfabeta m/f, illetterato/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
illiterate
(iˈlitərət) adjective1. unable to read and write.
2. having little or no education.
ilˈliteracy nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
illiterate
→ أُمِّيٌّ negramotný analfabetisk ungebildet αγράμματος analfabeto lukutaidoton analphabète nepismen analfabeta 読み書きのできない 문맹의 analfabeet ikke lese- og skrivekyndig niepiśmienny analfabeto неграмотный analfabet ไม่สามารถอ่านและเขียนได้ okuma yazması olmayan mù chữ 不识字的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
il·lit·er·ate
a. analfabeto-a.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
illiterate
adj analfabetoEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.