ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Literate

/ˈlɪtəɹət/ · adjective

Meaning

Able to read and write; having literacy..

Definitions by Sense

Able to read and write; having literacy.
Knowledgeable in literature, writing; literary; well-read.
Which is used in writing (of a language or dialect).
(by extension) Able to understand and evaluate something.
A person who is able to read and write.
(historical) A person who was educated but had not taken a university degree; especially a candidate to take holy orders.

Example Sentences

Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.

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.

The reason literature plays a unique role in any literate culture is its longevity.

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.

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.

Word Forms

more literate
most literate
litterate
literates

Synonyms for literate

Antonyms for literate

Related Words

When Should You Use Literate?

Use literate when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions

What does literate mean?

Literate means Able to read and write; having literacy..

What is a synonym for literate?

Common synonyms include educated, belletristic, literary, lettered.

What is the opposite of literate?

Possible antonyms include illiterate.

How do you use literate in a sentence?

Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.

ENGLISH DICTIONARY

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Definitions by Sense

Able to read and write; having literacy.

Knowledgeable in literature, writing; literary; well-read.

Which is used in writing (of a language or dialect).

(by extension) Able to understand and evaluate something.

A person who is able to read and write.

(historical) A person who was educated but had not taken a university degree; especially a candidate to take holy orders.

Example Sentences

Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.

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.

The reason literature plays a unique role in any literate culture is its longevity.

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does literate mean?

Literate means Able to read and write; having literacy..

What is a synonym for literate?

Common synonyms include educated, belletristic, literary, lettered.

What is the opposite of literate?

Possible antonyms include illiterate.

How do you use literate in a sentence?

Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.