ENGLISH
REFERENCE

uneducated

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //əˈnɛdʒʊˌkeɪtɪd// UK //ʌnˈɛdʒuːkˌeɪtɪd// un·e·d·u·cat·ed

adj. having little or no formal schooling or training. It describes someone who has not had the chance to learn much at a school or university.

adj. lacking formal schooling or a standard level of academic instruction. Often carries a negative or judgmental connotation depending on the context.


SIMPLE

He was a smart man even though he was uneducated.

CONTEXTUAL

The charity provides basic literacy classes for uneducated adults in rural areas who never finished primary school.

COMPLEX

While the critic dismissed the audience as uneducated, their intuitive grasp of the play's emotional core suggested a profound wisdom that formal schooling often fails to provide.

Antonyms
Origin

From un- + educated.

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun or predicatively after a linking verb like 'be' or 'remain'.

© 2026 English Reference