Meanings
plural literacies
- countableuncountableThe ability to read and write.
1 more example
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday (September 8, 2025) declared Himachal as a “fully literate State” on the occasion of International Literary Day. […] Journey from 7% to 99.30%: The Chief Minister said Himachal Pradesh had reached this goal well before the scheduled timeframe, adding that the journey from minimal literacy rate of around 7% to full literacy had been full of challenges, yet the State had consistently moved forward with the aim of providing quality education. […] Mr. Sukhu said the literacy rate in Himachal Pradesh had reached 99.30%, which is higher than the national benchmark of 95% […] Union Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar, in a video message, congratulated Himachal Pradesh on this achievement and emphasised the importance of providing skill-based education to the newly literate.
2025 September 8, “Himachal Pradesh becomes ‘fully literate State’. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu says the literacy rate in Himachal reached 99.30%, which is higher than the national benchmark of 95% with the hill State ranking first in student-teacher ratio”, in The Hindu - broadlycountableuncountableThe ability to understand and evaluate something.
media literacy
3 more examples
computer literacy
Prof Alan McKee, who led the project, argues that young adults should be taught “porn literacy” to help them “read porn well” and look for healthy and ethical depictions of sex.
2023 June 9, Tory Shepherd, “Can pornography be healthy? If it follows six rules, perhaps”, in The Guardian, →ISSNReturning to the school years later, Diakabana discovered it was a school guard. She wanted to repay him. "He told me to help others when I could, so I launched a scholarship program," says Diakabana, who now lives in Switzerland and is co-founder of The Luminous Agency, which focuses on digital literacy.
2025 November 13, Kamala Thiagarajan, “If you're going to be kind to another human, today is the day to do it!”, in NPR
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Arabic مَحْو الْأُمِّيَّة
- مَحْو الْأُمِّيَّة (maḥw al-ʔummiyya)ability to read and write
Catalan alfabetisme
- alfabetismeability to read and write
Chinese Mandarin 認字 /认字, 識字 /识字
- 認字 /认字 (rènzì)ability to read and write
- 識字 /识字 (shízì)ability to read and write
- 讀寫能力 /读写能力 (dúxiě nénglì)ability to read and write
- 能力 (nénglì)understanding of something
- 素養 /素养 (sùyǎng)understanding of something
Czech gramotnost, gramotnost
- gramotnostability to read and write
- gramotnostunderstanding of something
Danish læsefærdighed, skrivefærdighed
- læsefærdighedability to read and write
- skrivefærdighedability to read and write
Dutch alfabetisering, alfabetisme
- alfabetiseringability to read and write
- alfabetismeability to read and write
Estonian kirjaoskus
- kirjaoskusability to read and write
Finnish luku- ja kirjoitustaito, lukutaito
- luku- ja kirjoitustaitoability to read and write
- lukutaitoability to read and write
- lukutaitounderstanding of something
French littératie, littérisme
- littératieability to read and write
- littérismeability to read and write
- alphabétismeability to read and write
- compréhensionunderstanding of something
German Lese- und Schreibfähigkeit, Kenntnisse
- Lese- und Schreibfähigkeitability to read and write
- Kenntnisseunderstanding of something
- Bildungunderstanding of something
Greek αλφαβητισμός, γνώση
- αλφαβητισμός (alfavitismós)ability to read and write
- γνώση (gnósi)understanding of something
Hebrew אוֹרְיָנוּת, אוֹרְיָנוּת
- אוֹרְיָנוּת (oryanút)ability to read and write
- אוֹרְיָנוּת (oryanút)understanding of something
Hindi साक्षरता, साक्षरता
- साक्षरता (sākṣartā)ability to read and write
- साक्षरता (sākṣartā)understanding of something
Hungarian írástudás
- írástudásability to read and write
Icelandic læsi
- læsiability to read and write
Indonesian literasi, literasi
- literasiability to read and write
- literasiunderstanding of something
Iranian Persian باسوادی
- باسوادی (bâsavâdi)ability to read and write
Irish litearthacht
- litearthachtability to read and write
Italian alfabetismo, alfabetizzazione
- alfabetismoability to read and write
- alfabetizzazioneability to read and write
Korean 문해
- 문해 (munhae)ability to read and write
Polish piśmienność, alfabetyzm
- piśmiennośćability to read and write
- alfabetyzmability to read and write
Portuguese alfabetização, alfabetismo
- alfabetizaçãoability to read and write
- alfabetismoability to read and write
- letramentoability to read and write
- literaciaability to read and write
Romanian alfabetizare, alfabetism
- alfabetizareability to read and write
- alfabetismability to read and write
- instruireability to read and write
- școlireability to read and write
- știință de carteability to read and write
Russian гра́мотность, гра́мотность
- гра́мотность (grámotnostʹ)ability to read and write
- гра́мотность (grámotnostʹ)understanding of something
Scottish Gaelic litearrachd, litearrachd
- litearrachdability to read and write
- litearrachdunderstanding of something
Spanish alfabetismo, alfabetización
- alfabetismoability to read and write
- alfabetizaciónability to read and write
- culturaunderstanding of something
- competenciaunderstanding of something
Swedish läskunnighet, skrivkunnighet
- läskunnighetability to read and write
- skrivkunnighetability to read and write
- läs- och skrivkunnighetability to read and write
Tagalog kanulatan
- kanulatanability to read and write
Thai การรู้หนังสือ
- การรู้หนังสือability to read and write
Turkish okuryazarlık, okuma yazma
- okuryazarlıkability to read and write
- okuma yazmaability to read and write
Ukrainian письме́нність, гра́мотність
- письме́нність (pysʹménnistʹ)ability to read and write
- гра́мотність (hrámotnistʹ)ability to read and write
Welsh llythrennedd
- llythrenneddability to read and write
Cite this entry
literacy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/literacy
“literacy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/literacy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “literacy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/literacy.
Source: literacy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.