illiteracy

American  

[ih-lit-er-uh-see] / ɪˈlɪt ər ə si /

noun

plural

illiteracies

1. a lack of ability to read and write.

2. the state of being illiterate; lack of any or enough education.

3. a mistake in writing or speaking, felt to be characteristic of an illiterate or semiliterate person.

   a letter that was full of illiteracies.

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Other Word Forms

• semi-illiteracy noun

Etymology

Origin of illiteracy

First recorded in 1650–60; illiter(ate) + -acy

Example Sentences

The proposals went from cancelling foreign debts to investing in tackling illiteracy and public health.

From BBC

If this isn’t done we will continue to have high levels of illiteracy at the secondary level and in adulthood.

From The Wall Street Journal

Is it laziness, illiteracy or the ultimate flex?

From The Wall Street Journal

After confessing his illiteracy on TikTok, a fitness influencer discovered that his online audience was ready to help him learn to read.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a tribute to her father, who suffered all his life from illiteracy, she founded the Imagination Library, which provides free books to children from birth until the time they enter school.

From Salon

Related Words

• functional illiteracy
• illiterateness