different between uneven vs illiterate

English

Etymology

From Middle English uneven, from Old English unefen (“unequal, unlike, dissimilar, diverse, irregular”), equivalent to un- +? even. Cognate with Dutch oneven (“unequal, uneven, odd”), German uneben (“uneven, rough, irregular, bumpy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?iv?n/
• Rhymes: -i?v?n

Adjective

uneven (comparative more uneven, superlative most uneven)

1. Not even
2. Not level or smooth
3. Not uniform
4. Varying in quality
5. (mathematics, rare) Odd

   Antonym: even

Synonyms

• rough

Derived terms

• unevenly
• unevenness

Translations

See also

• irregular
• unequal

Verb

uneven (third-person singular simple present unevens, present participle unevening, simple past and past participle unevened)

1. (transitive) To make uneven.
   • 1993, Travel Holiday (volume 176, page 56)

     Initially it nestled among the dozens of Indian mounds that unevened the earth near the river until they were leveled to accommodate commerce.

   • 2006, Jack Temple Kirby, Mockingbird Song: Ecological Landscapes of the South (page 128)

     First, of course, the war reduced the white male, mostly young adult, population by more than a quarter-million, unevening the sex ratio and connubial and other opportunities for women for perhaps a generation.

English

Etymology

Recorded in English since 1556, from Latin illitteratus (“unlearned, ignorant”), itself from in- (“un-”) + litteratus (“furnished with letters”) (from littera (“letter, character”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l?t???t/, /??l?t??t/

Adjective

illiterate (comparative more illiterate, superlative most illiterate)

1. Unable to read and write.
2. Having less than an expected standard of familiarity with language and literature, or having little formal education.
3. Not conforming to prescribed standards of speech or writing.
4. Ignorant in a specified way or about a specified subject.

   economically illiterate, emotionally illiterate

Synonyms

• analphabetic
• ignorant
• unlettered

Antonyms

• literate

Derived terms

• illiteracy
• illiterately
• illiterateness

Translations

See also

• innumerate (adjective)
• numerate (adjective)

Noun

illiterate (plural illiterates)

1. An illiterate person, one not able to read and write.
2. A person ignorant about a given subject.

   The government is run by business illiterates.

Synonyms

• analphabet
• analphabetic (noun)

Translations

See also

• innumerate (noun)
• numerate (noun)

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “illiterate”, in Online Etymology Dictionary