ineducable

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparabledisapprovingold-fashioned

   Not able to be taught or improved by education, especially because of a severe learning difficulty.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: an ineducable child; the child was considered ineducable.

   Patterns

   • ineducable child
   • considered ineducable

   The old report described him as ineducable, a label that would not be used today.

   She argued that no student is truly ineducable if the right support is provided.

   The school was criticized for treating difficult pupils as ineducable.

2. 2adjectivenot comparablehumorous

   Impossible to teach a particular subject or skill to; unwilling or unable to learn.

   Grammar: Often used humorously about adults who refuse to learn something simple.

   Patterns

   • ineducable in something
   • ineducable about something

   When it comes to computers, my uncle claims to be completely ineducable.

   After years of lessons he remained ineducable about grammar.

Common combinations

considered ineducable

For decades, children with severe disabilities were considered ineducable.

ineducable child

The term 'ineducable child' is no longer acceptable in official documents.

practically ineducable

He was practically ineducable when it came to spelling.

Synonyms and how they differ

unteachable

Similar, but can also mean simply unwilling to be taught, not necessarily unable to learn.

uneducable

A rarer variant with almost the same meaning; 'ineducable' is the more established form.

Opposites

Word family

educable adjective

Able to be educated or taught.

education noun

The process of teaching and learning.

educate verb

To teach someone over a period of time.

Commonly confused: ineducable or uneducated?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “ineducable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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