unlettered

Examples

• All

• Most of those who were left in the country were ignorant, rude, and unlettered.

  Academic text (2018)

• The person who told me about it was rather, uh, unlettered.

  Fiction book (2002)

• All this was Greek to the little unlettered girl in the corner.

  Fiction book (2000)

• A scholar can never be as brave as one unlettered.

  Dragon Seed (1944)

• Ever since a rather ragged, definitely unlettered boy had caught the attention of the Desert's heir.

  Fiction book (1992)

• Mulder at first identified the immigrant letter as "a literature of the unlettered... the simple utterance of plain people."

  Academic text (1997)

• I can see that my patience with this little girl, despite her unlettered and ignorant vitriol directed at me, was wasted.

  Blog text (18)

• The landscape created by ordinary people is the main historic record left behind by those ordinary unlettered people—records "written" on the face of the earth.

  Academic text (1998)

• The magic of the awakening was worked by a new generation of relatively unlettered, itinerant pastors of Methodism and General Baptism.

  Academic text (2009)

• She felt embarrassed in the meeting, as unlettered individuals often find it hard to express their ideas.

Synonyms

U

uneducated

vsunlettered

56 2.8

A person who has little or no schooling

adds inability to read or write to this general lack of formal learning

I

illiterate

vsunlettered

29 3.7

Not able to read or write

focuses more broadly, adding lack of general education as well

U

undereducated

vsunlettered

4 4.2

Not having enough schooling to learn basic reading and math

implies inability to read or write or a broader absence of education

U

unschooled

vsunlettered

3 5.5

A person who has no formal education

includes inability to read or write as well as lack of education

U

untutored

vsunlettered

3 7.8

Having no formal schooling or lessons

covers missing formal instruction but also points to inability to read or write

U

uneducated person

vsunlettered

• Offensive

3 3.0

A person who has little or no schooling

is neutral, focusing on literacy and schooling rather than insulting language

F

functionally illiterate

vsunlettered

2 8.2

Cannot read or write well enough to do everyday tasks

means complete inability or general lack of education rather than limited skills

I

illiterate person

vsunlettered

1 4.0

A person who cannot read or write

adds the idea of lacking wider education beyond just reading and writing

U

untaught

vsunlettered

1 6.8

A person who has not had school or lessons

adds that this can also mean inability to read or write besides no formal schooling

U

unlearned

vsunlettered

1 7.7

A person with little education or knowledge about a subject

is specific about inability to read or write as well as general lack of education

U

unlettered person

vsunlettered

8.8

A person who cannot read or write

is the single adjective form used to describe the same lack of literacy

A

analphabetic

vsunlettered

9.9

Unable to read or write

is broader, also implying general lack of schooling and education

U

uninstructed

vsunlettered

6.9

Someone who has no training or basic knowledge about a subject

is more about basic inability to read or write and wider lack of education

Antonyms

L

literate

11 2.5

Able to read and write

Compounds

U

unlettered person

8.8

A person who cannot read or write

How Literate

scholarly

• Formal

47 5.6

educated

36 3.2

literate

11 2.5

semiliterate

1 7.6

unlettered

1 8.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology