illiterate
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.
See Examples For:
Parton's extraordinarily successful book project was born of personal anguish: her own father grew up illiterate in rural Tennessee.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
He speaks Old English and is illiterate, though his culture is rich in poetry and heroic tales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
In this adaptation, Anna Bowden had been Cady’s defense attorney, and he’s no longer an illiterate rube but a successful restaurateur who was convicted of murdering his wife and unborn son.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
In her second term, she introduced a constitutional amendment to reserve 45 seats in the legislature for female MPs, and worked to educate young women - in a country where 70% of them were illiterate.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025
“Yeah, well, tell your illiterate friends that if they’re going to call names, they should at least know how to spell them.”
From "The Misfits" by James Howe
![]()
But these illiberal cultural illiterates instead wanted curtains for the offending Elizabethan play.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 19, 2017
Thus, contract laborers were excluded in 1885, immoral persons and anarchists in 1903, and illiterates in 1917.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2016
Female illiteracy levels in India are high; indeed it is estimated that there are more female illiterates in India than in the rest of the world combined.
From Forbes ● Feb. 23, 2015
It covers grammar, because all that texting is causing us to become a country of unemployable illiterates.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2014
Eric smiled to himself, as the young journalist, interrupted in his discourse on "the aristocracy of illiterates," watched Barbara's entry and posed himself for being introduced.
From The Education of Eric Lane by Stephen McKenna
Vocabulary lists containing illiterate
I Am Malala
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Freak the Mighty
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!