Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Lacking education or knowledge.
- adj. Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge: an ignorant mistake.
- adj. Unaware or uninformed.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Destitute of knowledge in general, or concerning some particular matter; uninstructed or uninformed; untaught; unenlightened.
- Keeping one in ignorance.
- Unconscious; unaware.
- Done unconsciously or innocently; unknown to one's self as being of the kind mentioned.
- Showing want of knowledge; arising from or caused by ignorance: as, an ignorant proceeding; ignorant remarks.
- Synonyms Ignorant, Illiterate, Unlettered, Unlearned, uneducated. Ignorant is the most general of these words (as, he is an ignorant fellow), except where it is limited to some subject or point (as, ignorant of the ways of the world). Illiterate means not having read or studied, or, specifically, not able to read. The illiterate are presumably ignorant outside of their own work, but not necessarily so; the ignorant are necessarily illiterate. In modern times it is as reprehensible to be illiterate as to be ignorant. Unlettered is used sometimes for illiterate and sometimes for unlearned, with corresponding measures of blame. Unlearned —that is, not learned—is, like ignorant, either general or special: as, to be unlearned in theology; as learning is the privilege of few, it is not especially blameworthy to be even generally unlearned.
- n. A person who is untaught or uninformed; one who is unlettered or unskilled; an ignoramus.
Wiktionary
- adj. Unknowledgeable or uneducated; characterized by ignorance.
- adj. slang Ill-mannered, crude.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Destitute of knowledge; uninstructed or uninformed; untaught; unenlightened.
- adj. Unacquainted with; unconscious or unaware; -- used with
of . - adj. obsolete Unknown; undiscovered.
- adj. Resulting from ignorance; foolish; silly.
- n. A person untaught or uninformed; one unlettered or unskilled; an ignoramous.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
- adj. unaware because of a lack of relevant information or knowledge
- adj. uneducated in the fundamentals of a given art or branch of learning; lacking knowledge of a specific field
Etymologies
- Middle English ignoraunt, from Old French ignorant, from Latin ignōrāns, ignōrant-, present participle of ignōrāre, to be ignorant, not to know; see gnō- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“And least of all can he be supposed ignorant of the meaning of a word, which, had it been ever so doubtful before, had a certain meaning impressed upon it by the authority of Parliament, of which no sensible subject can be ignorant_.”
The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. — Volume 10 Historical Writings
“I. v.58 (424,1) This ignorant present time] _Ignorant_ has here the signification of _unknowing_; that it, I feel by anticipation these future hours, of which, according to the process of nature, the present time would be _ignorant_.”
“The root word in ignorant is “ignore,” a verb – therefore, ignorance is “active stupidity.””
Think Progress » Cohen’s Clarification: Not A Serious Matter
“It is dangerous because it chains the mind to the external things of life, whereas the totally unlettered (we do not use the term ignorant here) person will, if he have his heart filled with love, perceive the reality of spiritual things that transcend mere knowledge of the physical universe.”
“IF I used the term ignorant (I don't recall, likely due to my advanced years), the word isn't an insult but a word used, generally, to mean unaware or uneducated to the facts.”
“Until it was realised by the Taliban that the west would no longer be bankrolling their arms proliferation, and the money had to come from somewhere, boy for someone who likes using the term ignorant, you are guilty of it yourself a lot too.”
“Security, politics don't mix, says aide politics on national security and making what it called ignorant allegations about the investigation into the Christmas”
“Yes, "ignorant" is the proper term for you to use in this situation.”
“People want to tell me how to dress yet they cannot even provide a decent clinic or electricity because they are busy stealing money - how stupid and ignorant is that?”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘ignorant’.
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POL - scandalous (single words only)
cadre, bribery, bashing, backhander, clash, crony, coercion, coterie, chicanery, baksheesh, acolyte, backlash and 256 more...
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EN - academic vocabulary
Use these and get promoted
abandon, abandonment, abnormally, abstract, abstraction, abstractly, abstracts, academia, academic, academically, academics, academies and 3119 more...
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POL - scandalous (words and collocati...
Words and collocations associated with political scandal
blow the whistle, boo, cronyism and rigging, democratic deficit, denigrate, dirty linen, fiasco, finger pointing a..., graft, hidden account, hush money, illicit financing... and 578 more...
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funny & derogatory
WARNING: VERY EXPLICIT. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
funny derogatory names, quotes, phrases.
( open list, randomness, ad hom, ad hominem )
also see:
buttfucking quitter, dirty sanchez, donkey punch, falcon punch, assbadger, unicorn turd, assclown, fudgenut, quackery, friggin homo, buttmuncher, jackwagon and 272 more... -
Describing People
eye, hair, mouth, nose, tooth, head, face, arm, hand, finger, lip, leg and 212 more...
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Words with that horrible 'gn' sound
pregnant, interregnum, impregnable, signal, signature, prognosis, ignorant, ignominious, magnum, diagnosis, designation, incognito and 37 more...
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Ignorant
Adjectives meaning ignorant
unperceptive, obtuse, nescient, inerudite, insensitive, unknowledgeable, unsubtle, witless, fatuous, ignorant
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Twitter favourites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favourite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
bumwank, calamity, recalcitrant, gayenese, jeeze, nonsense, flabbergasted, juxtapose, procrastinating, ossanity, biffing, loser and 1972 more... -
Twitter favorites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favorite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
unfathomably, glice, cuh, fab, ciggaty, doll, thuggin, oxymoronic, pineapple, succubutt, griming, cheeky and 2369 more... -
mager's Words
enigmatic, pragmatic, pulchritudinous, nincompoop, annihilation, sociality, entailment, acrosome, egalitarian, culture, technocracy, shenanigan and 541 more...
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feeling words
twitterpated, loquacious, ambiguous, pensive, sluggish, anxious, adventurous, curious, abandoned, absent-minded, abrasive, abused and 653 more...
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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NeoteriX's Words
pejorative, saccharine, ineptitude, disingenuous, contravene, comport, ostensibly, nefarious, invidious, quixotic, incorrigable, capricious and 111 more...
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I am
considering, ruined, troubled, worried, frustrated, negative, depressing, depressed, depression, sick, exhausted, alone and 59 more...
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Words Against Bush (and/or his admini...
These are words that have been used, might have been used, or could be used in association with the current president and/or his administration. They are only listed as a device to remind the read...
cowboy, naive, ignorant, vengeful, vindictive, grudge, petulant, angry, bully, immature, inexperienced, afraid and 85 more...
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My Least Favourite Words
morose, neurotic, paperwork, ruminate, litigation, gloom, depression, despair, dictator, politics, procrastination, reorganisation and 72 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for ignorant.
brtom But one immediately reflects that the American Indian, who was ignorant by the same standards, nevertheless knew how to live in the country without making violence the invariable mode of his relation to it ... Wendell Berry "A Native Hill" Jul 19, 2008