unlettered

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.

At the remove of 2½ centuries, that concern seems quaint, for today the real question may be whether the country can prosper if its citizens are ignorant and unlettered.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Hamer’s unlettered style sometimes embarrassed her allies, but it also made her a symbol of authentic grass-roots activism.

From Washington Post • Nov. 17, 2021

In this tribal village, most parents are unlettered and unable to help their young children study at home.

From BBC • Aug. 27, 2021

He was not an unlettered man: In his years at school, Calhoun had written a master’s thesis on the historiography of Napoleon’s peninsular war and had attended a law seminar in Belgium.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2021

“Whut Ah don’t lak ’bout de man is, he talks tuh unlettered folks wid books in his jaws,” Hicks complained.

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston