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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ignorant Problematic to be sure, but also a very in-character move for an ignorant buffoon. Ben Rosenstock, Time, 6 May 2025 But here's a reminder for us: casual cruelty, performed by ignorant fascists. ArsTechnica, 5 May 2025 These attackers have something of a monopoly on the vulnerability and tools-related knowledge, knowledge that many defenders are blissfully ignorant of. Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 So a lot of the conventions of that can be made fun of in a nice way by seeing that world through his ignorant eyes. Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ignorant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignorant
Adjective
  • The Catholic Church openly collaborated with the Ustaše, whose support came largely from young men with rural, blue-collar, uneducated backgrounds.
    Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2025
  • Look, the game is about first impressions and making decisions that are sort of uneducated.
    Michael Cuby, Them., 31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • But lawyers can hardly be unaware of the pitfalls for their own profession in failing to monitor bots’ outputs.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
  • When Martone was personally attacked with deepfake pornography, the content was posted on social media and emailed to her employer with demands to fire Martone, unaware that Martone was the company CEO.
    Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • Related Stories All About Jalen Brunson's Parents, Sandra and Rick Brunson See Photos of Timothée Chalamet, Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal and More On May 16, Chalamet wore a Chrome Hearts tracksuit in a dark navy blue.
    Starr Bowenbank, People.com, 22 May 2025
  • With their golden yellow rays surrounding a dark cone, Rudbeckias are quintessential summer blooms.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • The cat's beef-eating, fart-generating owners are oblivious to these lofty ruling ambitions.
    Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 May 2025
  • Before long, the wife lies on the bed with a peaceful expression on her face, on morphine and oblivious to the chaos that surrounds them.
    Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • Vuong has told a strikingly similar anecdote about his late mother, like Rose an illiterate mixed-race Vietnamese immigrant who worked in a nail salon.
    Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 6 May 2025
  • An illiterate student just graduated from Hartford High.
    Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Antony and Cleopatra’s benighted love story plays out against the surge of Roman power, and Caesar, sung with biting clarity by Paul Appleby, comes off as a modern Duce.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 13 May 2025
  • In that benighted era, smart and beautiful women like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Judy Holliday were perennially cast in jiggle roles: empty headed, screen-filling eye candy.
    Guy Trebay, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • No untutored voice, nor even sound of rushing car disturbed the seemingly sacred stillness of the hour.
    Erin Alberty, Axios, 14 Apr. 2025
  • His savage, untutored mind suggested no better way than that of wreaking vengeance upon those who had wronged him.
    Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Trevon Williams, who did not escape from the New Orleans jail, was charged with 10 counts of being a principal to simple escape, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced on May 23.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 25 May 2025
  • As artificial intelligence models grow increasingly sophisticated, their capabilities extend far beyond simple task execution.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ignorant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignorant. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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