adjective / noun
illiterate
ih-LIT-er-ut/ɪˈlɪtərət/
Unable to use written language adequately.
The illiterate woman receives patient help from a tutor with the written form.
Etymology
Literatus described someone furnished with knowledge of letters. Its negative meant unlettered or uneducated, connecting the lack of learning specifically with inability to read and write.
In context
many rural residents don't have paperwork even among those who do many can't read it a quarter of the population in Assam state is illiterate
More examples
- He remains functionally illiterate despite several years of schooling.
- The outdated report refers to adults who cannot read as illiterates.
- She reads novels easily but admits she is financially illiterate.
Forms
illiterate · illiterates
illiteracy noun — Inability to read and write adequately.
Similar words
- unlettered
- Suggests little formal education, not necessarily inability to read.
- semiliterate
- Specifically describes partial literacy, emphasizing limited reading and writing skills.