ignorant

adjective ig·no·rant \ˈig-n(ə-)rənt\

: lacking knowledge or information

: resulting from or showing a lack of knowledge

Full Definition of IGNORANT

a : destitute of knowledge or education <an ignorant society>; also : lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified <parents ignorant of modern mathematics>

b : resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or intelligence <ignorant errors>

: unaware, uninformed

— ig·no·rant·ly adverb

— ig·no·rant·ness noun

See ignorant defined for English-language learners

See ignorant defined for kids

Examples of IGNORANT

… the World Series of the wild-card era is the pull of a slot-machine lever, a game of chance ignorant of form. Regularly populated now with second-place clubs or flavor-of-the-month teams more than dominant regular-season franchises … —Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 30 Oct. 2006
That may be especially true for today's … 13-year-olds, whose own moms and dads grew up largely ignorant of car seats, bike helmets, antibacterial soaps and childproof locks … —Nancy Gibbs, Time, 8 Aug. 2005
The joke is that the film was not his work. To refer to a producer's oeuvre is, at least to me, as ignorant as to refer to the oeuvre of a stockbroker. —David Mamet, Jafsie and John Henry: Essays, 1999
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Origin of IGNORANT

(see ignore)

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to IGNORANT

Synonyms: analphabetic, benighted, dark, illiterate, nonliterate, rude, simple, uneducated, uninstructed, unlearned, unlettered, unread, unschooled, untaught, untutored

Antonyms: educated, knowledgeable, lettered, literate, schooled, well-informed, well-read

Synonym Discussion of IGNORANT

ignorant, illiterate, unlettered, untutored, unlearned mean not having knowledge. ignorant may imply a general condition or it may apply to lack of knowledge or awareness of a particular thing <an ignorant fool> <ignorant of nuclear physics>. illiterate applies to either an absolute or a relative inability to read and write <much of the population is still illiterate>. unlettered implies ignorance of the knowledge gained by reading <an allusion meaningless to the unlettered>. untutored may imply lack of schooling in the arts and ways of civilization <strange monuments built by an untutored people>. unlearned suggests ignorance of advanced subjects <poetry not for academics but for the unlearned masses>.

IGNORANT Defined for Kids