ignoramus

noun

ig·​no·​ra·​mus ˌig-nə-ˈrā-məs 

also

-ˈra- 

plural ignoramuses also ignorami ˌig-nə-ˈrā-mē 

 also  -ˈra-

: an utterly ignorant person : dunce

Did you know?

Ignoramus is the title of a farce by George Ruggle (1575-1622) that was first produced in 1615. The title character, whose name in Latin literally means "we do not know," is a lawyer who fancies himself to be quite shrewd but is actually foolish and ignorant. Ruggle may have been inspired in his choice of name for his character by a proceeding in the English judicial system. The term ignoramus was written on bills of indictment when the evidence presented seemed insufficient to justify prosecution. In these cases ignoramus indicated "we take no notice of (i.e., we do not recognize) this indictment." Such a reference would have been most appropriate for Ruggle's satire of the judiciary.

Synonyms

• airhead
• birdbrain
• blockhead
• bonehead
• bubblehead
• chowderhead
• chucklehead
• clodpoll
• clodpole
• clot [British]
• cluck
• clunk
• cretin
• cuddy [British dialect]
• cuddie
• deadhead
• dim bulb [slang]
• dimwit
• dip
• dodo
• dolt
• donkey
• doofus [slang]
• dope
• dork [slang]
• dullard
• dum-dum
• dumbbell
• dumbhead
• dummkopf
• dummy
• dunce
• dunderhead
• fathead
• gander
• golem
• goof
• goon
• half-wit
• hammerhead
• hardhead
• idiot
• imbecile
• jackass
• know-nothing
• knucklehead
• lamebrain
• loggerhead [chiefly dialect]
• loon
• lump
• lunkhead
• meathead
• mome [archaic]
• moron
• mug [chiefly British]
• mutt
• natural
• nimrod [slang]
• nincompoop
• ninny
• ninnyhammer
• nit [chiefly British]
• nitwit
• noddy
• noodle
• numskull
• numbskull
• oaf
• pinhead
• prat [British]
• ratbag [chiefly Australian]
• saphead
• schlub [slang]
• shlub
• schnook [slang]
• simpleton
• stock
• stupe
• stupid
• thickhead
• turkey
• woodenhead
• yahoo
• yo-yo

Examples of ignoramus in a Sentence

I can't believe they let an ignoramus like that run the company.

only an ignoramus would be foiled by the building's security system

Recent Examples on the Web

Under the Tories’ watch, the prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street in London was occupied by a dyspeptic culture warrior (Theresa May), who was succeeded by a fustian blowhard (Boris Johnson), who begot an economic ignoramus (Liz Truss). —Lee Hockstader, Washington Post, 5 July 2024

Don’t let demagogues and blowhards and ignoramuses tell you otherwise. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 19 June 2024

Anyone who employs the phrase is either a demagogue or an ignoramus. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 30 June 2023

And dying, he’s now deemed a true ignoramus. —Washington Post, 14 Jan. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Ignoramus, ignorant lawyer in Ignoramus (1615), play by George Ruggle, from Latin, literally, we are ignorant of

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

ignoramus

noun

ig·​no·​ra·​mus ˌig-nə-ˈrā-məs 

plural ignoramuses also ignorami -mē 

: an ignorant person

Etymology

from Ignoramus, name of a character in a play

Legal Definition

ignoramus

noun

ig·​no·​ra·​mus ˌig-nə-ˈrā-məs 

: no bill at bill 3b