Definition of: ignorant

(ig′nər·ənt) adjective
1. Destitute of education or knowledge.
2. Unacquainted; unaware.
3. Manifesting or characterized by ignorance. [<OF <L ignorans, -antis, ppr. of ignorare not to know. See IGNORE.]
—ig′no·rant·ly adverb Synonyms (adj.): ill–informed, illiterate, uneducated, unenlightened, uninformed, uninstructed, unlearned, unlettered, unskilled, untaught, untutored. Ignorant signifies destitute of education or knowledge, or lacking knowledge or information; it is thus a relative term. The most learned man is still ignorant of many things; persons are spoken of as ignorant who have not the knowledge that has become generally diffused in the world; the ignorant savage may be well–instructed in matters of the field and the chase, and is thus more properly untutored than ignorant. Illiterate is without letters and the knowledge that comes through reading. Unlettered is similar in meaning to illiterate, but less absolute; the unlettered man may have acquired the art of reading and writing and some elementary knowledge; the uneducated man has never taken any systematic course of mental training. Ignorance is relative; illiteracy is absolute; we have statistics of illiteracy; no statistics of ignorance are possible. See BRUTISH. Antonyms: educated, instructed, learned, sage, skilled, trained, well–informed, wise.