ignorant en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈɪɡ.nə.ɹənt/
- (US) audio
- /ˈɪɡ.nənt/ African-American Vernacular
Etymology
From Old French ignorant, from Latin ignōrāns (“unaware, unknowing”). By surface analysis, ignore + -ant.
Meanings
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Unknowledgeable or uneducated; characterized by ignorance.
The ignorant peasant, without fault, is greater than the philosopher with many; for what is genius or courage without an heart?
1766, Oliver Goldsmith, chapter 15, in The Vicar of Wakefield, volume I, London: F. Newbery, page 150:That man that doth not know those things which are of use and necessity for him to know, is but an ignorant man, whatever he may know besides;
1664, John Tillotson, “Sermon I. The Wisdom of Being Religious. Job XXVIII. 28.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], London: […] B. Aylmer, […]; [a]nd W. Rogers, […], published 1696, →OCLC:
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Not knowing (a fact or facts), unaware (of something).
Eve. Somewhat forbids me, which I cannot name; For ignorant of guilt, I fear not shame: But some restraining thought, I know not why, Tells me, you long should beg, I long deny.
1677, John Dryden, The State of Innocence and Fall of Man, London: Henry Herringman, act II, page 14:1851, Walt Whitman, “Art and Artists” in Emory Holloway (editor), The Uncollected Poetry and Prose of Walt Whitman, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1921, Volume 1, p. 242, […] perhaps it is sometimes the case that the greatest artists live and die, the world and themselves alike ignorant what they possess.
That night he slept the sleep of happiness, blissfully ignorant that he had placed the letters in the wrong envelopes.
1921, John T. McCutcheon, The Restless Age, Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, page 179:For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 1:8:
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(slang) Ill-mannered, crude.
His manner was at best off-hand, at worst totally ignorant.
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(obsolete) Unknown; undiscovered
[…] I beseech you, If you know aught which does behove my knowledge Thereof to be inform’d, imprison't not In ignorant concealment.
c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:1845, Robert Browning, letter addressed to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, cited in Percy Lubbock, Elizabeth Barrett Browning in Her Letters, London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1906, Chapter 4, p. 106, […] as to you, your goodness and understanding will always see to the bottom of involuntary or ignorant faults—always help me to correct them.
Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?
c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
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Resulting from ignorance; foolish; silly.
He had never felt a pain or a sorrow, and did not know what they were, in any really informing way. He had no knowledge of them except theoretically—that is to say, intellectually. And of course that is no good. One can never get any but a loose and ignorant notion of such things except by experience.
1916, Mark Twain, chapter 8, in Albert Paine, editor, The Mysterious Stranger, New York: Harper & Bros., page 112:[…] his shipping— Poor ignorant baubles!— upon our terrible seas, Like eggshells moved upon their surges, crack’d As easily ’gainst our rocks:
1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ignoraunt | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| ignant | alternative | lexicographic | |
| most ignorant | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more ignorant | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| ignoranter | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| ignorantest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
learned · trained · wise · educated · familiar · knowledgable
Deriveds
ignorantist · ignorantism · ignorati · unignorant · ignorantly · pig-ignorant · ignorantness · superignorant · nonignorant
Relateds
agnorant · ignorable · impolite · ignore · ignorance · ignoramus
Synonyms
lewd · unschooled · unerudite · uneducated · unlettered · unmindful · innocent · oblivious · philistine · unenlightened · unlearned · unscholarly · untutored · uncultured · foolish · lack-learning · illiterate · ignorant · unread · lay · unwitting · loreless · tenebrose · unknowledgeable · untaught · cimmerian · ill-informed · uncultivated · unaware · unknowing · nescient · clueless · benighted · unlearnt · untrained · uninformed
Translations (106)
vi ngu dốt (characterized by ignorance) · fa نادان (characterized by ignorance) · ru тёмный (characterized by ignorance) · hu tudatlan (characterized by ignorance) · cs ignorantský (characterized by ignorance) · enm bestial (characterized by ignorance) · tl bano (characterized by ignorance) · fr ignorant (characterized by ignorance) · mk не́ук (characterized by ignorance) · es nesciente (characterized by ignorance) · pt ignorante (characterized by ignorance) · es inculto (characterized by ignorance) · eo senscia (unaware) · fi moukka (characterized by ignorance) · bg необразо́ван (characterized by ignorance) · gd ainfhiosach (characterized by ignorance) · uk те́мний (characterized by ignorance) · hi गँवार (characterized by ignorance) · mk не́писмен (characterized by ignorance) · sq injorant (characterized by ignorance) · cmn 無知 /无知 (characterized by ignorance) · ja 疎い (characterized by ignorance) · es ignaro (characterized by ignorance) · eo malklera (characterized by ignorance) · fi tietämätön (characterized by ignorance) · ru негра́мотный (characterized by ignorance) · nl ignorant (characterized by ignorance) · mk необра́зован (characterized by ignorance) · az cahil (characterized by ignorance) · cy anwybodus (characterized by ignorance) · ko 무식하다 (characterized by ignorance) · km ល្ងង់ខ្លៅ (characterized by ignorance) · cs neznalý (characterized by ignorance) · mk негра́мотен (characterized by ignorance) · la inscītus (characterized by ignorance) · cs nevzdělaný (characterized by ignorance) · bg неу́к (characterized by ignorance) · be цёмны (characterized by ignorance) · be не́вуцкі (characterized by ignorance) · hu tájékozatlan (characterized by ignorance) · pa ਬੇਖਬਰ (characterized by ignorance) · ml പാമരൻ (characterized by ignorance) · hy տգետ (characterized by ignorance) · ang unġewiss (characterized by ignorance) · got 𐌿𐌽𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (characterized by ignorance) · tr cahil (characterized by ignorance) · acw جاهل (characterized by ignorance) · grc ἀμαθής (characterized by ignorance) · gl ignorante (characterized by ignorance) · uk неодуко́ваний (characterized by ignorance) · gd ainfhiosrach (characterized by ignorance) · arz جاهل (characterized by ignorance) · bg негра́мотен (characterized by ignorance) · ms jahil (characterized by ignorance) · ca ignorant (characterized by ignorance) · ko 무학하다 (characterized by ignorance) · ro ignorant (characterized by ignorance) · ba наҙан (characterized by ignorance) · ru необразо́ванный (characterized by ignorance) · fa عامی (characterized by ignorance) · nb uvitende (characterized by ignorance) · es ignorante (characterized by ignorance) · kk бейхабар (characterized by ignorance) · uk негра́мотний (characterized by ignorance) · ko 무지하다 (characterized by ignorance) · ko 배운 데 없다 (characterized by ignorance) · sk nevzdelaný (characterized by ignorance) · got 𐌿𐌽𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (characterized by ignorance) · tl mangmang (characterized by ignorance) · el αδαής (characterized by ignorance) · nrf innouothant (characterized by ignorance) · uk неписьме́нний (characterized by ignorance) · be неадукава́ны (characterized by ignorance) · ast inorante (characterized by ignorance) · it ignorante (characterized by ignorance) · hi अज्ञान (characterized by ignorance) · ga ainbhiosach (characterized by ignorance) · hy անգրագետ (characterized by ignorance) · vi mù chữ (characterized by ignorance) · got 𐌿𐌽𐍆𐍂𐍉𐌸𐍃 (characterized by ignorance) · vi dốt nát (characterized by ignorance) · sl neveden (characterized by ignorance) · pl ignorancki (characterized by ignorance) · eu ezjakin (characterized by ignorance) · be нягра́матны (characterized by ignorance) · ckb نەزان (characterized by ignorance) · ru неве́жественный (characterized by ignorance) · be няпісьме́нны (characterized by ignorance) · la ignōrāns (characterized by ignorance) · ko 멍청하다 (characterized by ignorance) · uk неосві́чений (characterized by ignorance) · ja 無知な (characterized by ignorance) · la ignārus (characterized by ignorance) · ar جَاهِل (characterized by ignorance) · es desentendido (characterized by ignorance) · de ignorant (characterized by ignorance) · es chúntaro (characterized by ignorance) · ga aibéiseach (characterized by ignorance) · sv okunnig (characterized by ignorance) · oc ignorant (characterized by ignorance) · uk не́уцький (characterized by ignorance) · sv ovetande (characterized by ignorance) · id bebal (characterized by ignorance) · mk непро́светен (characterized by ignorance) · kmr nezan (characterized by ignorance) · nl onwetend (characterized by ignorance)