unlettered

[ uhn-let-erd ]

adjective

1. not educated; uneducated; untutored; ignorant.
2. not literate; illiterate.
3. not marked with letters, as a tombstone.

unlettered

/ ʌnˈlɛtəd /

adjective

1. uneducated; illiterate
2. not marked with letters

   an unlettered tombstone

Word History and Origins

Origin of unlettered¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; un- ¹, lettered

Synonym Study

See ignorant.

Example Sentences

He describes himself as an uomo senza lettere—an unlettered man.

From Literature

Rendered on the page in glyph-laden phonetic spellings that are apt to confound the unlettered, these words take wing when released into sound.

From Seattle Times

By lending his name and considerable prestige to the founding of an organization that continues to do as much as any other to encourage racial strife and violence in the South, and by providing a flawed example for future military officers charged with the defense of their nation, Forrest has continued to do harm to the nation whose banner he lived under for 52 of his 56 years, despite that nation providing an unlettered son of the frontier with the opportunity for substantial social and economic advancement.

From Slate

Hamer’s unlettered style sometimes embarrassed her allies, but it also made her a symbol of authentic grass-roots activism.

From Washington Post

In this tribal village, most parents are unlettered and unable to help their young children study at home.

From BBC

Related Words

• illiterate
• innocent
• naive
• oblivious
• obtuse
• uneducated
• uninformed