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
• scholarly
• civilized

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

Right now, there’s a broad consensus that the global populist right understands our almost post-literate new media in a way their opponents never will. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2025

This novel of a post-literate, dystopian world is set in a village on the shores of Lake Superior. —The Know, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025

Noun

It was made at a time when people were less media literate and less aware of their own authorship and representation. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025

In other words, teachers will likely need to be AI fluent to guide students to be AI literate. —Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025

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

Rhymes for literate

• illiterate

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