innumerate

[ ih-noo-mer-it, ih-nyoo- ]

adjective

1. unfamiliar with mathematical concepts and methods; unable to use mathematics; not numerate.

noun

1. an innumerate person.

innumerate

/ ɪˈnjuːmərɪt /

adjective

1. having neither knowledge nor understanding of mathematics or science

noun

1. an innumerate person

Derived Forms

• inˈnumeracy, noun

Other Words From

• in·numer·a·cy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of innumerate¹

First recorded in 1959; in- ³ + numerate

Example Sentences

Anyone claiming that spending on this scale will break the budget, or that it will seriously interfere with other priorities, is innumerate, disingenuous or both.

From Seattle Times

This one any innumerate person can understand: The injury rate in the NFL is 100 percent.

From Washington Post

Answer Man is innumerate in all major numbering systems — Roman, Arabic, hexadecimal — and not so hot in Latin, either.

From Washington Post

To some degree, I think all of us as just a species, we’re a little bit innumerate as it relates to big numbers.

From The Verge

Mr. Mishkin says that, to the contrary, he took Mr. Trump’s prospects so seriously that one of his daughters told him that he was beginning to sound like the innumerate Trump booster Bill Mitchell.

From New York Times