Synonyms of ignorant

ignorant

adjective

ˈig-n(ə-)rənt 

1

as in uneducated

lacking in education or the knowledge gained from books

they may be poor, ignorant farmers, but they are not stupid

Synonyms & Similar Words

• uneducated
• dark
• inexperienced
• illiterate
• benighted
• untutored
• unschooled
• untaught
• unlearned
• simple
• unlettered
• uninstructed
• rude
• innocent
• naive
• nonliterate
• unread
• foolish
• stupid
• dumb
• uncultured
• analphabetic
• idiotic
• unsophisticated
• unknowledgeable
• artless
• functionally illiterate
• uncultivated
• moronic
• imbecile
• unskilled
• semiliterate
• callow
• innumerate
• green
• untrained
• silly
• witless
• lowbrow
• brainless
• philistine
• senseless
• raw

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• educated
• knowledgeable
• intelligent
• literate
• brilliant
• smart
• expert
• experienced
• well-informed
• lettered
• trained
• intellectual
• learned
• well-read
• schooled
• erudite
• scholarly
• aware
• cultured
• sophisticated
• familiar
• cultivated
• acquainted
• highbrow
• polymath
• polyhistoric

2

as in unaware

not informed about or aware of something

he was ignorant of their wedding plans

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unaware
• oblivious
• uninformed
• clueless
• unmindful
• unconscious
• unknowing
• in the dark
• unwitting
• uneducated
• nescient
• innocent
• unacquainted
• incognizant
• unschooled
• untaught
• insensible
• inattentive
• heedless
• absent
• absentminded
• abstracted
• inconscient

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• aware
• conscious
• informed
• acquainted
• knowing
• cognizant
• conversant
• mindful
• grounded
• taught
• educated
• knowledgeable
• hip
• up-to-date
• witting
• observant
• sensitive
• plugged-in
• schooled
• sentient
• au courant
• heedful

Synonym Chooser

How is the word ignorant distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of ignorant are illiterate, unlearned, unlettered, and untutored. While all these words mean "not having knowledge," ignorant may imply a general condition or it may apply to lack of knowledge or awareness of a particular thing.

an ignorant fool

ignorant of nuclear physics

When could illiterate be used to replace ignorant?

Although the words illiterate and ignorant have much in common, illiterate applies to either an absolute or a relative inability to read and write.

much of the population is still illiterate

When can unlearned be used instead of ignorant?

While the synonyms unlearned and ignorant are close in meaning, unlearned suggests ignorance of advanced subjects.

poetry not for academics but for the unlearned masses

In what contexts can unlettered take the place of ignorant?

The meanings of unlettered and ignorant largely overlap; however, unlettered implies ignorance of the knowledge gained by reading.

an allusion meaningless to the unlettered

Where would untutored be a reasonable alternative to ignorant?

The words untutored and ignorant can be used in similar contexts, but untutored may imply lack of schooling in the arts and ways of civilization.

strange monuments built by an untutored people

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ignorant

Careers made and ruined, departments torn apart, writing programs turned into sensitivity seminars, political witch hunts, public opprobrium, ignorant media attacks, the whole ball of wax. — Emily Eakin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Any advice on how to tune out ignorant neighbors who refuse to shut up? — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 15 July 2026

Even if many people remain ignorant of 1898 and its seminal role in undemocratizing American democracy, its legacy is closer to a cipher than a secret. — CBS News, 12 July 2026

Let’s hope that George Santayana’s warning to those ignorant of history about the past repeating itself makes an exception for our present Defense Department. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 June 2026