literate
Americanadjective
-
able to read and write.
-
having or showing knowledge of literature, writing, etc.; literary; well-read.
-
characterized by skill, lucidity, polish, or the like.
His writing is literate but cold and clinical.
- Synonyms:
- knowledgeable, well-informed
-
having knowledge or skill in a specified field.
Is she computer literate? The boss needs a computer‑literate assistant.
-
having an education; educated.
- Synonyms:
- knowledgeable, well-informed
noun
-
a person who can read and write.
-
a learned person.
adjective
-
able to read and write
-
educated; learned
-
used to words rather than numbers as a means of expression Compare numerate
noun
Other Word Forms
- antiliterate adjective
- antiliterately adverb
- literately adverb
- unliterate adjective
Etymology
Origin of literate
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin līterātus, litterātus learned, scholarly. See letter 1, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They want to graduate functionally literate young people, not hand kids a diploma that says they showed up for class for 12 years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026
There are many notable exceptions, but on the whole, society has become less literate, less mathematical and less able to think and reason critically.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025
They say the people of Keeladi were literate, highly-skilled and engaged in trade across the subcontinent and abroad.
From BBC • Aug. 23, 2025
"I am a blue badge holder and I have to pay because I am not computer literate," he says, arguing that "you have to jump through hoops to get this discount".
From BBC • Aug. 23, 2025
By the autumn almost every animal on the farm was literate in some degree.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
