literate en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈlɪtəɹət/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English litterate, borrowed from Latin lītterātus, līterātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix). Doublet of literato and literatus. Displaced native Old English stæfwīs.
Meanings
-
Able to read and write; having literacy.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday (September 8, 2025) declared Himachal as a “fully literate State” on the occasion of International Literary Day. […] Journey from 7% to 99.30%: The Chief Minister said Himachal Pradesh had reached this goal well before the scheduled timeframe, adding that the journey from minimal literacy rate of around 7% to full literacy had been full of challenges, yet the State had consistently moved forward with the aim of providing quality education. […] Mr. Sukhu said the literacy rate in Himachal Pradesh had reached 99.30%, which is higher than the national benchmark of 95% […] Union Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar, in a video message, congratulated Himachal Pradesh on this achievement and emphasised the importance of providing skill-based education to the newly literate.
2025 September 8, “Himachal Pradesh becomes ‘fully literate State’. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu says the literacy rate in Himachal reached 99.30%, which is higher than the national benchmark of 95% with the hill State ranking first in student-teacher ratio”, in The Hindu:Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.
1997, George Carlin, Brain Droppings, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 86:
-
Knowledgeable in literature, writing; literary; well-read.
The reason literature plays a unique role in any literate culture is its longevity.
2008 January 7, Charles Hugh Smith, Can a Fragmented Culture Find Common Ground?:
-
Which is used in writing (of a language or dialect).
The Mongol emperor Kublai Khan even commissioned an alphabetic script for his empire, to be used officially for all its literate languages, Mongolian, Chinese, Turkic and Persian.
2005, Nicholas Ostler, Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World, Harper:
-
(broadly) Able to understand and evaluate something.
I don’t have a college degree. I was never a standout student. And yet, I became financially literate—not just in my personal life, but in running a small company.
2026 April 22, Jillian Sanders, “The Danger of Surrendering Your Financial Independence in a Relationship”, in TIME, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2026:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| litterate | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| most literate | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more literate | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
metaliterate · pluriliterate · superliterate · carbon-literate · quasiliterate · computer literate · triliterate · semiliterate · literately · literateness · computerate · e-literate · cineliterate · biliterate · nonliterate · food-literate · ecoliterate · preliterate · antiliterate · aliterate · monoliterate · postliterate · unliterate · protoliterate · cyberliterate · multiliterate · literatize · literate programming · technoliterate · hyperliterate · graphicate · subliterate · literatesque
Relateds
illiterate · literature · literary · letter · literacy · literal
Translations (71)
de alphabetisiert (able to read, having literacy) · es alfabetizado (able to read, having literacy) · cmn 識字的 /识字的 (able to read, having literacy) · fi oppinut (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · sh načitan (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · nl belezen (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · hy տառաճանաչ (able to read, having literacy) · cy llythrennog (able to read, having literacy) · sv beläst (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · pt letrado (able to read, having literacy) · ru образо́ванный (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · sh учен (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · sh начитан (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · ckb خوێندەوار (able to read, having literacy) · sh писмен (able to read, having literacy) · tl nulat (able to read, having literacy) · sh učen (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · sv läskunnig (able to read, having literacy) · fr lettré (able to read, having literacy) · sv skrivkunnig (able to read, having literacy) · ang stæfwīs (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · es letrado (able to read, having literacy) · az savadlı (able to read, having literacy) · ja 読み書きができる (able to read, having literacy) · ru гра́мотный (able to read, having literacy) · uk письме́нний (able to read, having literacy) · ru начи́танный (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · ky сабаттуу (able to read, having literacy) · fi lukenut (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · de lese- und schreibkundig (able to read, having literacy) · hi साक्षर (able to read, having literacy) · fi lukutaitoinen (able to read, having literacy) · de des Lesens und Schreibens mächtig (able to read, having literacy) · hi शिक्षित (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · es letrado (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · cmn 博識 /博识 (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · hi शिक्षित (able to read, having literacy) · sh pismen (able to read, having literacy) · hi पढ़ा लिखा (able to read, having literacy) · az mütaliəli (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · gd litearra (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · ca lletrat (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · de schriftkundig (able to read, having literacy) · ca alfabet (able to read, having literacy) · tr okuryazar (able to read, having literacy) · fr alphabète (able to read, having literacy) · de schreibkundig (able to read, having literacy) · hy գրագետ (able to read, having literacy) · ja 博識の (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · ka წერა-კითხვის მცოდნე (able to read, having literacy) · hy գրագետ (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · sv läs- och skrivkunnig (able to read, having literacy) · de gebildet (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · pt letrado (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · cmn 有文化的 (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · fr lettré (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · gd litearra (able to read, having literacy) · bg грамотен (able to read, having literacy) · pt alfabetizado (able to read, having literacy) · oc letrat (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · pl piśmienny (able to read, having literacy) · nl geletterd (able to read, having literacy) · ky окумал (able to read, having literacy) · pl oczytany (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · ang stæfwīs (able to read, having literacy) · es alfabeto (able to read, having literacy) · uk гра́мотний (able to read, having literacy) · de belesen (knowledgeable in literature and writing) · cs gramotný (able to read, having literacy) · ckt кэԓигъюԓетыԓьын (able to read, having literacy) · de literal (able to read, having literacy)