illiteracy

[ ih-lit-er-uh-see ]

noun

, plural il·lit·er·a·cies

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.

Other Words From

• semi-il·liter·a·cy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of illiteracy¹

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

Example Sentences

They suffer sky-high maternal mortality rates, illiteracy, and a daily struggle against violence and poverty.

From The Daily Beast

It is all a result of segregated communities where illiteracy is rife and the men think they can get away with anything.

From The Daily Beast

The community suffers from significant illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, and crime.

From The Daily Beast

The greatest barrier to improvement is probably adult illiteracy.

From The Daily Beast

Indeed the state of Kentucky, facing staggering rates of adult illiteracy, recently began these programs in early elementary.

From The Daily Beast

She made up the envelope to match and addressed it, with consistent illiteracy, to the head of the mission.

From Project Gutenberg

There is no ground for an explanation of such errors 207 as these except laziness and grossest illiteracy.

From Project Gutenberg

Other branches of the family bearing the surname had gone to seed and lapsed into illiteracy.

From Project Gutenberg

The illiteracy for all Negro children was 25 per cent, whereas the illiteracy for all white children was only 10.5 per cent.

From Project Gutenberg

Illiteracy which in 1863 equaled about 95 per cent of the Negro population has been decreasing rapidly since the Civil War.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• functional illiteracy
• illiterateness