literate

noun

A person who is able to read and write.

(historical) A person who was educated but had not taken a university degree; especially a candidate to take holy orders.

adjective

Able to read and write; having literacy.

Knowledgeable in literature, writing; literary; well-read.

Which is used in writing (of a language or dialect).

Roots

litteraliter- · Latin · letter

Synonyms for literate

educatedadj eruditeadj culturedadj letteredadj

Synonyms & related words for literate

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of literate — including educated, erudite, cultured, lettered. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to literate

Explore words related to literate — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include literately, subliterate, preliterate, semiliterate, belletristic, alphabetizer, illiterate, illiterately. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for literate

Common synonyms for literate include educated, erudite, cultured, lettered — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does literate come from?

The word literate breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root liter-, from Latin littera (“letter”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.