nescient

N1E1S1C3I1E1N1T1
US/ˈnɛʃənt/

noun

An ignorant person.

Similar
unbelievingagnosticagnosticalignorantunlearnedunlettereduneducated
OriginLatin nesciēns →
Scrabble 10
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounnescient (plural nescients)

plural nescients

  1. An ignorant person.
  2. One who holds that only material phenomena can be known and knowledge of spiritual matters (the unmeasurable) or ultimate causes is impossible.
adjectivenescient (comparative more nescient, superlative most nescient)

comparative more nescient · superlative most nescient

  1. Ignorant, unlearned.
  2. Unbelieving.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveholding that only material phenomena can be known and knowledge of spiritual matters or ultimate causes is impossible

Similar
unbelievingagnosticagnostical

adjectiveuneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication

Similar
ignorantunlearnedunlettereduneducated
Also see
agnosticbelatedignoramusignorantnescioustenebroseunbelievinguncultivateduncultureduneducatedunknowledgeableunlearnedunletteredunwitting

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinnesciēns“ignorant, unknowing”
  2. Englishnescient

Ultimately from Latin nesciēns (“ignorant, unknowing”), the present participle of nesciō (“to don’t know, to be ignorant of”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

nescient. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nescient

MLA

“nescient.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nescient. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nescient,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nescient.

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