ignorant
adjective
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The Polite and Not-So-Polite Uses of Ignorant
Ignorant shares a root with the word ignore, one of those etymological connections which appear obvious once they are pointed out, yet remained overlooked by most. Both words come from the Latin ignorare (“to ignore, be ignorant of”). There are several meanings of ignorant, all of which are concerned with a lack of knowledge in some sense; some of these are more insulting than others, and care should be exercised before applying this word to people who you do not wish to offend. Saying “They were ignorant of most of the laws of physics” means that the people in question did not have a specific body of learning. Saying “You are an ignorant person” is possibly describing someone as primitive, crude, or uncivilized.
Synonyms
Examples of ignorant in a Sentence
Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 30 Oct. 2006
That may be especially true for today's … 13-year-olds, whose own moms and dads grew up largely ignorant of car seats, bike helmets, antibacterial soaps and childproof locks …
—Nancy Gibbs, Time, 8 Aug. 2005
The joke is that the film was not his work. To refer to a producer's oeuvre is, at least to me, as ignorant as to refer to the oeuvre of a stockbroker.
—David Mamet, Jafsie and John Henry: Essays, 1999
He is an ignorant old racist.
She was ignorant about the dangers of the drug.
It was an ignorant mistake.
Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024
Was an ancient reptile, for all intents and purposes a 15-million-year-old dinosaur, actually roaming this expanse of creosote scrub, subsisting on beavertail cactus flesh, going about her day ignorant of the weather alerts, the headlines, the untold human tragedies?
—Outside Online, 23 Oct. 2024
Watching Shannon from afar as the ignorant bliss of her perfect first date with Sayid was shattered by the news of Boone’s fate felt downright traumatic and voyeuristic.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 20 Sep. 2024
Thinking that a ring is gonna, one, make a man commit to you and two, make a relationship worth having is not only ignorant but misogynistic.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ignorant 
Dictionary Entries Near ignorant
Cite this Entry
“Ignorant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ignorant. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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ignorant
adjective
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