Ignorant, a.
Etymology: [F., fr. L. ignorans, -antis, p.pr. of ignorare to be ignorant. See Ignore.]
1. Destitute of knowledge; uninstructed or uninformed; untaught; unenlightened. He that doth not know those things which are of use for him to know, is but an ignorant man, whatever he may know besides. Tillotson.
2. Unacquainted with; unconscious or unaware; -- used with of. Ignorant of guilt, I fear not shame. Dryden.
3. Unknown; undiscovered. [Obs.] Ignorant concealment. Shak. Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed Shak.
4. Resulting from ignorance; foolish; silly. His shipping, Poor ignorant baubles! -- on our terrible seas, Like eggshells moved. Shak.
1 more senses
Syn. -- Uninstructed; untaught; unenlightened; uninformed; unlearned; unlettered; illiterate. -- Ignorant, Illiterate. Ignorant denotes want of knowledge, either as to single subject or information in general; illiterate refers to an ignorance of letters, or of knowledge acquired by reading and study. In the Middle Ages, a great proportion of the higher classes were illiterate, and yet were far from being ignorant, especially in regard to war and other active pursuits. In such business Action is eloquence, and the eyes of the ignorant More learned than the ears. Shak. In the first ages of Christianity, not only the learned and the wise, but the ignorant and illiterate, embraced torments and death. Tillotson.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Ignorant, n.
A person untaught or uninformed; one unlettered or unskilled; an ignoramous. Did I for this take pains to teach Our zealous ignorants to preach Denham.
Shades of meaning
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.