SuaviloquyToday’s word

illiteracy

Illiteracy, n.; pl. Illiteracies.

Etymology: [From Illiterate.]

1. The state of being illiterate, or uneducated; want of learning, or knowledge; ignorance; specifically, inability to read and write; as, the illiteracy shown by the last census.

2. An instance of ignorance; a literary blunder. The many blunders and illiteracies of the first publishers of his [Shakespeare's] works. Pope.

Shades of meaning

Fernald lists illiteracy only as an antonym, under education, knowledge.

Where he writes about it:

Ignorance is relative; illiteracy is absolute; we have statistics of illiteracy; no statistics of ignorance are possible. — from ignorant

Synonyms

none given