illiterateness
Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal.
Related to illiterateness: illiterate person
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.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
illiterateness
nounThe condition of being ignorant; lack of knowledge or learning:
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