English → Latin
“ignorant” in Latin
īnsciusignorant (not knowing); unaware; unskilled; unknownignārusignorant, unaware, not knowing; incapable, incompetent, unableimperītusunskilled; unfamiliar, ignorant of, unacquainted with, inexperiencedrudisrough, raw, uncultivated; unrefined, unskilled, awkward; rudeindoctusuntaught; unlearned, ignorant, untrainedillitterātusunlearned, uneducated, unscholarly; illiterate; unwrittennesciusnot knowing, unknowing, in ignorance, ignorant, unaware, untaught; unknownintegercomplete, whole, intact, uninjured, sound, healthy
The English word ignorant itself goes back to Latin ignōrō, through ignōrāns.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
ignorant
inscius (who is not acquainted, either by instruction or experience with the principles and practice of an art; alicujus rei): ignarus (without any knowledge how a thing is to be carried on; alicujus rei): imperitus (wholly without experience in anything; alicujus rei): rudis (raw; without instruction; alicujus rei or in aliqua re). (The words are found in this connection and order.) alicujus rei inscius et rudis: indoctus (general term, without any learned or scientific knowledge): illitteratus (illitterate): nescius (having accidentally not heard of or experienced something; inscius implies blame, nescius is indifferent, Döderlein; alicujus rei; e.g., impendentis mali, Plin. It may be followed by accusative with infinitive, non sum nescius... ista dici, Cic.; but nescius with infinitive only, as nescius fallere, is poetical): integer (on whose mind no impression has been made by previous instruction; with reference to a particular subject, and to a teacher who may therefore mould such a pupil as he pleases). (The words are found in this connection and order.) rudis et integer (Cic.). I am not ignorant that, etc., non sum nescius (with accusative and infinitive). To be ignorant of anything, aliquid nescire (with reference to the understanding, thought, etc.); aliquid ignorare (with reference to circumstances of external perception, experience, etc.); aliquid non callere (not to have acquired a practical knowledge by industrious study and experience). To be shamefully ignorant of anything, aliquid turpiter ignorare: to be utterly ignorant on all subjects, omnium rerum inscium et rudem esse. Take me for your pupil, and give me the instruction I require, for I am at present quite ignorant of the subject, rudem me et integrum discipulum accipe, et ea, quae requiro, doce (Cic., N.D., 3, 3, 7).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for ignorant?
- The usual Latin words for “ignorant” are īnscius, ignārus, imperītus; also rudis, indoctus, illitterātus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.