Standard Lemma guide

innumeracy

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Lack of numeracy; low numeracy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • John Allen Paulos and others have asked our society to consider numeracy and innumeracy in a way closer to how we view literacy and illiteracy.
  • The man suffered from innumeracy stemming from a brain injury, and depended on his wife for all financial matters, no matter how trivial.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: numeracy

History

Etymology

From in- + numeracy; coined by Douglas Hofstadter and popularized by mathematician John Allen Paulos in his 1989 book Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences.