Literate

Quick meaning: Literate is an adjective meaning Able to read and write; having literacy.

Meaning

Able to read and write; having literacy.

More Meanings

1. Knowledgeable in literature, writing; literary; well-read.
2. Which is used in writing (of a language or dialect).
3. (by extension) Able to understand and evaluate something.
4. A person who is able to read and write.
5. (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.

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

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.

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.

Word Forms

• litterate
• literates

Synonyms for literate

Depending on context, synonyms include educated, belletristic, literary, lettered.

Antonyms for literate

Common opposites include illiterate.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include literary, belletristic, lettered, educated, literacy, write.

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