Meaning & use
ignorant person
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Meaning
nouncountable
A person who lacks knowledge or awareness, often showing a lack of education or understanding.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an ignorant person', 'ignorant people', or 'ignorant persons' (formal).
Patterns
- an ignorant person
- ignorant people
- be ignorant of something
He called me an ignorant person just because I didn't know the capital of Mongolia.
Ignorant people often fear what they don't understand.
She felt like an ignorant person in the advanced physics class.
Word forms
| plural | ignorant people |
|---|---|
| plural (formal) | ignorant persons |
Common combinations
- an ignorant person
- He is an ignorant person who has never read a book.
- ignorant people
- Ignorant people spread rumors without checking facts.
- be ignorant of
- She was ignorant of the new policy until yesterday.
- completely ignorant
- He is completely ignorant about art.
- ignorant about
- Many people are ignorant about basic first aid.
Synonyms and how they differ
- uneducated
- Focuses on lack of formal schooling, not general unawareness; 'ignorant' can also mean rude or impolite.
- uninformed
- Means not having specific information, often temporary; 'ignorant' suggests a deeper lack of knowledge.
- illiterate
- Means unable to read or write; 'ignorant' is broader and can mean lacking knowledge in any area.
Opposites
Word family
- ignorance noun
- The state of lacking knowledge or awareness.
- ignorantly adverb
- In an ignorant manner; without knowledge.
Commonly confused: ignorant person or innocent?
ignorant person vs innocent
Innocent means free from guilt or harmlessness, while ignorant means lacking knowledge. They can overlap in meaning 'unaware', but innocent often has a moral sense.
Practice
Choose the correct preposition: He is ignorant ___ the rules of the game.
Choose one answer.
'Ignorant of' is the standard collocation meaning 'not knowing about something'. 'Ignorant about' is also possible but less common with 'rules'; 'ignorant in' and 'ignorant for' are not used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ignorant person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.