ignorant

adjective

ˈig-n(ə-)rənt How to pronounce ignorant (audio)
Definition of ignorantnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unaware
not informed about or aware of something he was ignorant of their wedding plans

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Consider that Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-war protester and recent graduate of Columbia University, was arrested on a Saturday night by ICE agents who appeared ignorant of his status as a legal U.S. resident and his rights thereof. —Nisha Whitehead, Orange County Register, 16 Mar. 2025 Until him, no U.S. president has been so ignorant of the lessons of history. —Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025 Are these regular people really so ignorant as to how these games work? —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2025 Musk’s blind and ignorant closing of USAID has blacked out our billboard to the world of what America is about. —Llewellyn King, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ignorant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignorant
  1. uneducated
  2. unaware
  3. dark
  4. oblivious
  5. illiterate
  6. benighted
  7. untutored
  8. simple
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
Definition of uneducated
Adjective
  • Tarrant County spokesperson Regina Calderon said the Elections Office is unaware of any complaints regarding Rodriguez’s claims.
    — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2025
  • In many cases, schools were unaware of any issues until after the fact.
    — Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of unaware
Adjective
  • Store green tea products in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place.
    — Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 4 Apr. 2025
  • While the app only went dark for a matter of a day or so in the U.S., it was removed from the Apple and Google app stores for weeks, because federal law could have seen Apple or Google penalized for distributing it.
    — David Phelan, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • Around us, tanks hummed with activity—tiny creatures darting about, oblivious to the struggles of the people who had built this operation from the ground up.
    — Stephan Lendi, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • A lot of Maryland residents who enjoy their summer at the ocean might be oblivious to how this change might affect their upcoming vacations.
    — Gretchen Holland, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of oblivious
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
Definition of illiterate
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
Definition of benighted
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
Definition of untutored
Adjective
  • That simplicity feels so apt for this show, There's enough here: The production is simple and sweet, while Jonas and Warren exude a certain magnetism.
    — Shania Russell, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Uncharacteristically for the times, a sincere and simple sentence in the active voice.
    — David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
Definition of simple

Browse Nearby Words

ignorance
ignorant
ignore
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Cite this Entry

“Ignorant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignorant. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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