ignoramus

noun

ig·no·ra·mus ˌig-nə-ˈrā-məs

also

-ˈra-

plural ignoramuses also ignorami ˌig-nə-ˈrā-mē

also -ˈra-

Synonyms of ignoramus next

: an utterly ignorant person : dunce

Did you know?

Ignoramus is the title of a farce by George Ruggle (1575-1622) that was first produced in 1615. The title character, whose name in Latin literally means "we do not know," is a lawyer who fancies himself to be quite shrewd but is actually foolish and ignorant. Ruggle may have been inspired in his choice of name for his character by a proceeding in the English judicial system. The term ignoramus was written on bills of indictment when the evidence presented seemed insufficient to justify prosecution. In these cases ignoramus indicated "we take no notice of (i.e., we do not recognize) this indictment." Such a reference would have been most appropriate for Ruggle's satire of the judiciary.

Examples of ignoramus in a Sentence

I can't believe they let an ignoramus like that run the company. only an ignoramus would be foiled by the building's security system

Recent Examples on the Web

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Under the Tories’ watch, the prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street in London was occupied by a dyspeptic culture warrior (Theresa May), who was succeeded by a fustian blowhard (Boris Johnson), who begot an economic ignoramus (Liz Truss). —