aliterate

A1L1I1T1E1R1A1T1E1
/eɪˈlɪtəɹət/

adjective

Disinclined to read though not illiterate; able to read but reluctant or unlikely to do so.

“Mark Twain famously said, "The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who can't read"; more succinctly: the aliterate has little advantage over the illiterate.”

Similar
aliterate person
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

adjectivealiterate (comparative more aliterate, superlative most aliterate)

comparative more aliterate · superlative most aliterate

  1. Disinclined to read though not illiterate; able to read but reluctant or unlikely to do so.
nounaliterate (plural aliterates)

plural aliterates

  1. Someone who is able to read but disinclined to do so.

    Mark Twain famously said, "The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who can't read"; more succinctly: the aliterate has little advantage over the illiterate.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna person who can read but is disinclined to derive information from literary sources

Similar
aliterate person
Broader
ignoramusknow nothinguneducated person

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From a- + literate.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

retaliate
Cite this entry
APA

aliterate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aliterate

MLA

“aliterate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aliterate. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aliterate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aliterate.

Source: aliterate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.