Synonyms of untutored

untutored

adjective

ˌən-ˈtü-tərd 

as in ignorant

lacking in education or the knowledge gained from books

to the untutored observer these works of art must seem strange indeed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word untutored distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of untutored are ignorant, illiterate, unlearned, and unlettered. While all these words mean "not having knowledge," untutored may imply lack of schooling in the arts and ways of civilization.

strange monuments built by an untutored people

When is ignorant a more appropriate choice than untutored?

The words ignorant and untutored can be used in similar contexts, but 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 would illiterate be a good substitute for untutored?

Although the words illiterate and untutored 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 untutored?

The synonyms unlearned and untutored are sometimes interchangeable, but unlearned suggests ignorance of advanced subjects.

poetry not for academics but for the unlearned masses

Where would unlettered be a reasonable alternative to untutored?

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

an allusion meaningless to the unlettered

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of untutored

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

To an untutored lurker, the whole thing seemed like … a frickin’ ballet, or some less dainty choreography, a headlong dance of astounding precision. — Jody Rosen, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023

Guadagnino’s allegory details the self-destruction at the heart of teens’ untutored idealism. — Armond White, National Review, 11 Jan. 2023