uneducated
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uneducated
A person who has little schooling or general knowledge and is not familiar with cultural or scientific topics. The expression can sound derogatory.
Er mag zwar keine formale Hochschulbildung haben, aber er ist alles andere als ungebildet.
He may not have a formal university education, but he is anything but uneducated.
The word consists of the prefix 'un-', which expresses negation, and the adjective 'gebildet' (educated). So 'ungebildet' literally means 'not educated'.
Seine Kommentare zeigten, dass er in diesem Thema völlig ungebildet war.
His comments showed that he was completely uneducated on this topic.
Be careful when using this word, as it is often perceived as strongly derogatory or insulting. It does not only judge someone's level of knowledge, but can also be understood as an attack on the person.
Ihn als ungebildet zu bezeichnen, wäre unfair und verletzend.
Calling him uneducated would be unfair and hurtful.
The adjective is often used in contrasting sentences to soften or qualify a negative statement. A typical structure is 'zwar X, aber nicht ungebildet' (admittedly X, but not uneducated).
Sie hat zwar keinen Universitätsabschluss, ist aber keineswegs ungebildet.
She may not have a university degree, but she is by no means uneducated.
stupid / unfortunate
'dumm' and 'ungebildet' can easily be confused because both can sound negative when used about a person. But they do not mean the same thing. 'dumm' refers to low intelligence or a lack of understanding. 'ungebildet' refers to little education, school knowledge, or general knowledge. A person can be uneducated but still act intelligently. Both words can feel hurtful, so they should be used carefully.
Herr Meier wirkt ungebildet, weil er über viele einfache Themen kaum etwas weiß.
Mr. Meier seems uneducated because he knows very little about many basic topics.
Ich fand seine Antwort nicht dumm, sondern nur etwas ungenau.
I didn't think his answer was stupid, just a bit imprecise.