literate

1 of 2

adjective

lit·​er·​ate ˈli-tə-rət 

 also  ˈli-trət

1

a

: educated, cultured

literate executives

b

: able to read and write

What percentage of the population is literate?

2

a

: versed in literature or creative writing : literary

literate novelists

b

: lucid, polished

a literate essay

c

: having knowledge or competence (see competent sense 2)

computer-literate

politically literate

literately adverb

literateness noun

literate

2 of 2

noun

1

: an educated person

2

: a person who can read and write

Synonyms

Adjective

• educated
• erudite
• knowledgeable
• learned
• lettered
• scholarly
• well-read

Examples of literate in a Sentence

Adjective

She is literate in both English and Spanish.

What percentage of the population is literate?

The job requires you to be computer literate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

There is a similar dearth of male educators in American schools – another obstacle to boys learning how to be relational and emotionally literate. —Courtney E. Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 May 2024

Some Spelman students have helped the college earn a huge cash prize thanks to their commitment to becoming more financially literate. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 2 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English literat, from Latin litteratus marked with letters, literate, from litterae letters, literature, from plural of littera

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

literate

1 of 2 adjective

lit·​er·​ate ˈlit-ə-rət 

ˈli-trət

1

: educated sense 1, cultured

2

: able to read and write

3

: having knowledge or experience in a particular area

computer literate

literately adverb

literateness noun

literate

2 of 2 noun

1

: an educated person

2

: a person who can read and write