Link Centre Dictionary

illiterate

il·li·te·rate

UK/ɪˈlɪtəɹət/ US/ɪˈlɪtɹət/ uncommon
adjective (2) noun (1)

adjective

1.
2.

ignorant of the fundamentals of a given art or branch of knowledge

  • “ignorant of quantum mechanics”
  • “musically illiterate”
Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.

Origin

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).

Phrases

  • computer illiterate

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.