Ignorant vs. Dumb — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Ignorant and Dumb
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Compare with Definitions
Ignorant
Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated
He was told constantly that he was ignorant and stupid
Dumb
Lacking the power of speech. Used of animals and inanimate objects.
Ignorant
Discourteous or rude
This ignorant, pin-brained receptionist
Dumb
(Offensive) Incapable of using speech; mute. Used of humans. See Usage Note at mute.
Ignorant
Angry or quick-tempered
She could be very ignorant and he had no intention of getting involved in an argument just now
I had to walk out before I got ignorant
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Dumb
Temporarily speechless, as with shock or fear
I was dumb with disbelief.
Ignorant
Lacking education or knowledge.
Dumb
Unwilling to speak; taciturn.
Ignorant
Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge
An ignorant mistake.
Dumb
Not expressed or articulated in sounds or words
Dumb resentment.
Ignorant
Unaware or uninformed
Was ignorant of the drug's harmful effects.
Dumb
(Nautical) Not self-propelling.
Ignorant
Unknowledgeable or uneducated; characterized by ignorance.
Dumb
Conspicuously unintelligent; stupid
Dumb officials.
A dumb decision.
Ignorant
Not knowing (a fact or facts), unaware (of something).
Dumb
Unintentional; haphazard
Dumb luck.
Ignorant
(slang) Ill-mannered, crude.
His manner was at best off-hand, at worst totally ignorant.
Dumb
To make silent or dumb.
Ignorant
(obsolete) unknown; undiscovered
Dumb
(dated) Unable to speak; lacking power of speech (kept in "deaf, dumb, and blind").
His younger brother was born dumb, and communicated with sign language.
Ignorant
Resulting from ignorance; foolish; silly.
Dumb
(dated) Silent; unaccompanied by words.
Dumb show
Ignorant
One who is ignorant.
Dumb
Extremely stupid.
You are so dumb! You don't even know how to make toast!
Ignorant
Destitute of knowledge; uninstructed or uninformed; untaught; unenlightened.
He that doth not know those things which are of use for him to know, is but an ignorant man, whatever he may know besides.
Dumb
(figuratively) Pointless, foolish, lacking intellectual content or value.
This is dumb! We're driving in circles! We should have asked for directions an hour ago!
Brendan had the dumb job of moving boxes from one conveyor belt to another.
Ignorant
Unacquainted with; unconscious or unaware; - used with of.
Ignorant of guilt, I fear not shame.
Dumb
Lacking brightness or clearness, as a colour.
Ignorant
Unknown; undiscovered.
Ignorant concealment.
Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?
Dumb
To silence.
Ignorant
Resulting from ignorance; foolish; silly.
His shipping,Poor ignorant baubles! - on our terrible seas,Like eggshells moved.
In such businessAction is eloquence, and the eyes of the ignorantMore learned than the ears.
In the first ages of Christianity, not only the learned and the wise, but the ignorant and illiterate, embraced torments and death.
Dumb
(transitive) To make stupid.
Ignorant
A person untaught or uninformed; one unlettered or unskilled; an ignoramous.
Did I for this take pains to teachOur zealous ignorants to preach?
Dumb
(transitive) To represent as stupid.
Ignorant
Lacking general education or knowledge;
An ignorant man
Nescient of contemporary literature
An unlearned group incapable of understanding complex issues
Exhibiting contempt for his unlettered companions
Dumb
(transitive) To reduce the intellectual demands of.
Ignorant
Ignorant of the fundamentals of a given art or branch of knowledge;
Ignorant of quantum mechanics
Musically illiterate
Dumb
Destitute of the power of speech; unable; to utter articulate sounds; as, the dumb brutes.
To unloose the very tongues even of dumb creatures.
Ignorant
Lacking basic knowledge;
How can someone that age be so ignorant?
Inexperienced and new to the real world
Dumb
Not willing to speak; mute; silent; not speaking; not accompanied by words; as, dumb show.
This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him.
To pierce into the dumb past.
Ignorant
Used of things; lacking sense or awareness;
Ignorant hope
Fine innocent weather
Dumb
Lacking brightness or clearness, as a color.
Her stern was painted of a dumb white or dun color.
Ignorant
Lacking knowledge or skill;
Unversed in the jargon of the social scientist
Dumb
To put to silence.
Ignorant
Lacking information or knowledge;
An unknowledgeable assistant
Dumb
Slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity;
So dense he never understands anything I say to him
Never met anyone quite so dim
Although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick
Dumb officials make some really dumb decisions
He was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse
Worked with the slow students
Dumb
Unable to speak temporarily;
Struck dumb
Speechless with shock
Dumb
Lacking the power of human speech;
Dumb animals
Dumb
Unable to speak because of hereditary deafness
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