Synonym Chooser

How is the word unlettered distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of unlettered are ignorant, illiterate, unlearned, and untutored. While all these words mean "not having knowledge," unlettered implies ignorance of the knowledge gained by reading.

an allusion meaningless to the unlettered

Where would ignorant be a reasonable alternative to unlettered?

Although the words ignorant and unlettered have much in common, 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 is illiterate a more appropriate choice than unlettered?

While in some cases nearly identical to unlettered, illiterate applies to either an absolute or a relative inability to read and write.

much of the population is still illiterate

When would unlearned be a good substitute for unlettered?

The words unlearned and unlettered can be used in similar contexts, but unlearned suggests ignorance of advanced subjects.

poetry not for academics but for the unlearned masses

When could untutored be used to replace unlettered?

The meanings of untutored and unlettered largely overlap; however, 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 unlettered The unlettered Prince has gained in life what Hamlet achieved only in death: his own story shaped on his own terms, thanks to the intervention of a skillful Horatio. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2023 Busby Berkeley Wrongly taken as a mere ornamentalist—even worse, sometimes mistaken for a fascist—Busby Berkeley was an erotic sociobiologist, an unlettered philosopher in visual music. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 July 2022 The characters include a temperamental goat, a sweet-natured monk, an unlettered orphan boy and an intelligent young girl whose destiny is to dethrone a king. Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 10 Dec. 2021 Their first point of concern is that unlettered and uninformed residents were herded into vehicles and enrolled as trial participants. Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, 12 Jan. 2021 The British Admiralty sent ships in search of pathways through the ice that would lead to this mythic sea, an objective scoffed at by unlettered whalers who spent their lives in waters along the edge of the sea ice and knew better. David James, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Aug. 2019 Her husband constantly referred to her dismissively as a simple, unlettered woman. Ferdinand Mount, WSJ, 1 Nov. 2018 The consequences of Kanye West’s unlettered view of America and its history are, if anything, more direct. Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic, 7 May 2018 In the tradition of both black and white southern folk preaching, ministers usually spoke extemporaneously to unlettered congregants, who expected the Spirit of God to impart messages of encouragement and hope. The Economist, 28 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlettered
ignorant
Adjective
  • The former Fox host Tucker Carlson, who opposed such an operation, sparred with two boosters: the current Fox host Mark Levin, and the Republican senator Ted Cruz, whom Carlson revealed to be ignorant of basic facts about Iran in a clip that went viral.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 27 June 2025
  • Maybe LLMs get us 80% of the way there without any oversight, but skipping the context and being completely ignorant of what the machine is doing is typically not a good idea, partly for the reasons that the panelists laid out.
    John Werner, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unlettered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlettered. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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