What does ignoramus mean?
An ignoramus is a person regarded as ignorant, foolish, or unwilling to learn. The term is typically contemptuous, implying not merely a lack of information but a failure of judgment, reason, or intellectual seriousness. It appears especially in arguments, criticism, and legal or historical contexts, where it can serve as a blunt way of dismissing a person or their position. The expression became familiar through the Latin legal maxim ignoramus et ignoramus, literally “we do not know,” used to reject a case as hopeless or unfounded. Though the word can convey strong disapproval, it is usually informal and rhetorical rather than a neutral classification. Its unusual history and precise association with intellectual dismissal make it more pointed than simply calling someone ignorant.
nounAn ignorant or foolish person, especially one who is unwilling to learn or consider evidence. The term is often used to dismiss someone whose claims display a lack of knowledge.
- A person who is ignorant, foolish, or regarded as lacking understanding.
"His argument was dismissed as the work of an ignoramus."
"The professor refused to engage with the ignoramus's endless objections."
"In legal argument, the claim was dismissed with the traditional phrase ignoramus et ignoramus."
The regular plural is used when referring to multiple people regarded as ignorant or foolish.
"The article portrayed its critics as a group of ignoramuses."
From the Latin phrase meaning “we do not know,” ignoramus began as a legal dismissal: no amount of argument could overcome a statement made from sheer ignorance.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ignoramus come from?
Ignoramus comes from Latin, where it means “we do not know.” Medieval and early modern legal writers used the phrase ignoramus et ignoramus, literally “we do not know and we do not know,” to dismiss an argument or case as hopeless. English borrowed the singular form in the 16th century. The word shares its root with ignore, ignorant, and ignorance, all of which reflect the Latin verb ignorare, meaning “to not know” or “to take no notice of.”
Related word forms
How ignoramus is actually used
The word is chiefly informal or dismissive and is generally used to belittle someone rather than as a neutral description. It is more common in British and American English than in formal academic writing.
Easily confused with ignoramus
An ignorant person is someone who lacks knowledge, whereas an ignoramus is more specifically a person regarded as foolish or unwilling to learn.