uneducated

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ʌnˈɛdʒəˌkeɪtɪd/ UK /ʌnˈɛdjʊkeɪtɪd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
lacking formal schooling or knowledge

He was largely uneducated but remarkably wise about people.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · lacking formal schooling or... unschooledilliterate ignorant untaught unlearneduntutored

Opposites

educated schooled literate learned

Word family

Related forms educate educationeducable

Etymology

From un- ('not') + educated, past participle of educate, from Latin educare ('to bring up, rear, train'), related to educere ('to lead out'), from ex- ('out') + ducere ('to lead').

un- Old English educare Latin ducere Latin *dewk- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style

External links

# uneducated

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ʌnˈɛdʒəˌkeɪtɪd/
**IPA (UK):** /ʌnˈɛdjʊkeɪtɪd/

## Meanings
1. lacking formal schooling or knowledge

## Examples
- He was largely uneducated but remarkably wise about people.

## Synonyms
- unschooled
- illiterate
- ignorant
- untaught
- unlearned
- untutored

## Antonyms
- educated
- schooled
- literate
- learned

## Related Forms
- educate
- education
- educable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: educare
- Root: ducere - to lead
- Root: *dewk-

## Etymology
From un- ('not') + educated, past participle of educate, from Latin educare ('to bring up, rear, train'), related to educere ('to lead out'), from ex- ('out') + ducere ('to lead').

## AI Etymology
Uneducated is from un- ('not') + educated, past participle of educate, from Latin educare ('to bring up, rear, train'), related to educere ('to lead out'), from ex- ('out') + ducere ('to lead'). Important recorded forms include un- (Old English), educare (Latin), ducere (Latin), and *dewk- (Proto-Indo-European). Morphologically, the un- element marks negation, reversal, removal, or deprivation, while the base supplies the action, quality, or state being denied or undone. The modern sense is largely compositional, with the historical elements narrowing into a stable English lexical item. In current use it covers lacking formal schooling or knowledge. The wider family includes related words such as educate, education, and educable.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- Register & Style

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