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illiterate

 - 3 dictionary results

il⋅lit⋅er⋅ate

  [i-lit-er-it]
–adjective
1. unable to read and write: an illiterate group.
2. having or demonstrating very little or no education.
3. showing lack of culture, esp. in language and literature.
4. displaying a marked lack of knowledge in a particular field: He is musically illiterate.
–noun
5. an illiterate person.
Use illiterate in a Sentence
Origin:
1550–60; < L illiterātus unlettered. See il- 2 , literate

Related forms:
il⋅lit⋅er⋅ate⋅ly, adverb
il⋅lit⋅er⋅ate⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. See ignorant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To illiterate
il·lit·er·ate   (ĭ-lĭt'ər-ĭt)   
adj.  

    1. Unable to read and write.

    2. Having little or no formal education.

    3. Marked by inferiority to an expected standard of familiarity with language and literature.

    4. Violating prescribed standards of speech or writing.

    1. Marked by inferiority to an expected standard of familiarity with language and literature.

    2. Violating prescribed standards of speech or writing.

  3. Ignorant of the fundamentals of a given art or branch of knowledge: musically illiterate. See Usage Note at literate.


[Middle English, from Latin illīterātus : in-, not; see in-1 + līterātus, literate; see literate.]
il·lit'er·ate n., il·lit'er·ate·ly adv., il·lit'er·ate·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

illiterate 
1556, from L. illiteratus "unlearned, ignorant," from in- "not" + literatus, lit. "furnished with letters."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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