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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 Some ignorant f*** called in a fake hostage situation. Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025 In this environment, unscrupulous or ignorant producers sold rotten food or foods preserved in dangerous substances to unwitting consumers. Yong Kwon / Made By History, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025 This is particularly true among younger marketing, advertising and branding professionals who are, understandably, relatively ignorant of the realities of this older generation. Tim Wragg, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025 Although Maria Shriver remained blissfully ignorant of her son Patrick Schwarzenegger‘s NSFW debut on The White Lotus, not everyone in the family is so modest. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ignorant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignorant
Adjective
  • Look, the game is about first impressions and making decisions that are sort of uneducated.
    Michael Cuby, Them., 31 Mar. 2025
  • Similar views applied to immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, whom many Americans regarded as poor, uneducated, and inferior.
    Made by History, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Those who lost their Medicaid health care reported being unaware or confused about how to report work hours.
    Phil Galewitz, NPR, 15 Apr. 2025
  • He has not been contacted previously with any claims of this nature and was unaware of any discomfort expressed by Ms. Thorne at the time.
    Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Editor’s tip: Niacinamide is a multitasker that blurs the look of dark spots, evens your skin tone, and balances your complexion.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 15 Apr. 2025
  • And so by some sociologists, camp is thought to be this form of dark humor serving as a coping mechanism to historical marginalization.
    Sam Reed, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • On a recent flight from Seattle to Dallas, Rachel Wagner had the misfortune of sitting next to a passenger who seemed oblivious to the concept of common courtesy.
    Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Authorities, apparently figuring the two were oblivious to the scheme, have shown little interest in questioning them.
    David Segal, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • People with phones don’t always have internet access, and many are illiterate.
    Sam Mednick, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2025
  • The crowds who first flocked to view the tapestry, back in the 11th century, would largely have been illiterate and narrative hangings of this nature, with a mix of picture and text inscriptions, were a way to tell stories that everyone could follow.
    Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • That said, the inclusion of out-of-home impressions to the national TV sample in autumn 2020 and the subsequent expansion of Nielsen’s OOH measurement have helped the NCAA’s media partners claw back a good deal of deliveries that would have been otherwise ignored in a more benighted era.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Mar. 2025
  • And, of course, speedily deport those who misbehave. — George W. Price, Chicago Our benighted states The only renaming of place that is called for in this age of Donald Trump is the United States of America.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
Adjective
  • Will people be more open and accept that a simple, inexpensive date isn’t the sign of low effort but rather a reflection of the economy none of us asked for?
    Myisha Battle, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The simplest way, Studholme suggests, is to use one group of neutrals or a tone on tone graduation of the same color, such as Pigeon, Blue Gray, Muzzle and Cromarty from Farrow & Ball, for example.
    Ariel Okin, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ignorant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignorant. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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