illiterate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Because many colonists were illiterate, the Declaration was commonly declaimed by local officials in town squares and preachers in pulpits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

They want illiterate, groveling serfs, who live in fear and don’t stick around too long.

From Salon • Nov. 23, 2025

Barrett, a former law professor, did not seem persuaded that this notoriously sloppy and economically illiterate document was a substitute for reality-based reasoning.

From Slate • Nov. 5, 2025

"Digital technology is an opportunity we cannot miss," she said, warning that "those who do not adapt risk becoming the illiterate of the 21st century".

From Barron's • Oct. 9, 2025

I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot.

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger