English Reference
Adjective

uneducated

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

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.

Usage

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

They want uneducated women so they can't raise wise men.

BBC News· 24 Aug 2026

From un- + educated.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated