literate

/ˈlɪtərət/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlɪtərət/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈli-tə-rət also ˈli-trət/ (ame, mw)

literate — 形容詞

  • literatepositive
  • more literatecomparative
  • most literatesuperlative

1. having the basic skill of reading and writing, enabling someone to understand an

1.形容詞B1
釋義

識字的

能閱讀和書寫的

having the basic skill of reading and writing, enabling someone to understand and communicate through written language in everyday situations.

例句

Esme learned to read at age five and has been literate ever since.

Esme 五歲時學會閱讀，從此便一直有讀寫能力。

The village school in northern Ghana taught all its children to become literate.

迦納北部的那所村莊學校教所有孩子學會讀寫。

collocation: become literate

同義詞
  • educated

    broader, referring to formal schooling in any field rather than just basic reading and writing ability

  • lettered

    more formal and literary, usually implies classical learning rather than basic literacy

反義詞

文法句型

be + literate

literate + noun

常見錯誤

❌She is very literacy in English.
✅She is very literate in English.
💡literacy is the noun form; literate is the adjective.

2. knowing enough about a particular subject to understand and discuss it confident

2.形容詞B2
釋義

具素養的

在特定領域有足夠知識的

knowing enough about a particular subject to understand and discuss it confidently.

例句

Putri is financially literate and manages her own investment portfolio.

Putri 有財務素養，能夠管理自己的投資組合。

collocation: financially literate

Christopher, the hiring manager at a Berlin software company, looks for candidates who are computer literate with spreadsheet skills.

柏林一家軟體公司的招聘主管 Christopher 尋找具備電腦素養、會試算表技能的求職者。

同義詞
  • knowledgeable

    broader; can apply to any subject without implying competence in reading and writing

  • proficient

    emphasises practical skill and ability rather than theoretical understanding

反義詞
  • ignorant

    lacking knowledge of a particular subject

文法句型

be + literate + in + field of knowledge

用法筆記

This sense is almost always used with an adverb specifying the field — most commonly in compound-like phrases such as 'computer literate', 'financially literate', or 'politically literate'. The field follows the preposition 'in' in longer constructions.

常見錯誤

❌He is a computer literacy candidate.
✅He is a computer literate candidate.
💡use the adjective literate, not the noun literacy, when describing someone's competence in a field.

3. having broad cultural and literary knowledge gained through extensive reading.

3.形容詞C1
釋義

有文學修養的

博覽群書而有文化素養的

having broad cultural and literary knowledge gained through extensive reading.

例句

Élise is a highly literate woman who reads classic novels in her spare time.

Élise 是一位極具文學修養的女性，閒暇時喜歡閱讀經典小說。

collocation: highly literate

Professor Beatrix Okonkwo, an art historian, is a highly literate scholar whose lectures on Renaissance painting draw packed audiences.

藝術史教授 Beatrix Okonkwo 是一位極具文學修養的學者，她的文藝復興繪畫講座總是座無虛席。

pattern: deeply literate in [cultural field]

同義詞
  • well-read

    more specific to reading habits; interchangeable with this sense in many contexts

  • cultured

    broader, includes appreciation of arts, manners, and social refinement beyond literary knowledge

  • learned

    implies deep scholarly study; more formal and academic in tone

反義詞
  • ignorant

    lacking knowledge or awareness, especially of cultural matters

  • uneducated

    lacking formal education or cultural exposure

文法句型

be + literate

literate + noun

be + literate + in + field

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2 (SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE): sense 3 specifically refers to broad cultural and literary knowledge acquired through reading, whereas sense 2 describes practical or technical competence in a defined field such as finance or computing.

literate — 名詞