illiterate
adjective
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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.
Examples of illiterate in a Sentence
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.
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Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2023
Whereas many Eritreans working on the Libyan smuggling routes are illiterate, Kidane finished high school, and is known to be an avid reader.
—Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
Teacher Bai’s three sisters – all illiterate or semiliterate – are farmers, like their parents.
—Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2023
Most were prevented from going to school, and when Algeria gained independence in 1962, more than 85% of the population was illiterate.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2023
Born to an illiterate mother and a petty criminal father, the resilient character makes the most of his limited options.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023
In the 1860s, she is displaced by Sarah Wells, an illiterate former maid who becomes the second Mrs. Ainsworth after bearing her boss, nearly 40 years her senior, a daughter.
—Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2023
The businessman orders the murder of the village’s illiterate leader, then presents the dead man’s signature on a bill of sale for the oil-rich lands.
—Jud Newborn, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023
Washington knew from his job that a young Black man who was illiterate and without benefit of parental guidance was already condemned to a prison of ignorance.
—Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2023
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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.
Word History
Middle English, from Latin illiteratus, from in- + litteratus literate
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing illiterate
Dictionary Entries Near illiterate
Cite this Entry
“Illiterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illiterate. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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illiterate
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on illiterate
Nglish: Translation of illiterate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of illiterate for Arabic Speakers
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