ignorance
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ignorance
The lack of knowledge or information about a particular matter or fact.
Er handelte aus reiner Unkenntnis der neuen Vorschriften und nicht aus böser Absicht.
He acted out of sheer ignorance of the new regulations and not out of malicious intent.
to leave uninformed
A fixed expression meaning to deliberately not inform someone about something.
Die Geschäftsführung hat die Mitarbeiter bewusst über die bevorstehenden Entlassungen in Unkenntnis gelassen.
Management deliberately left the employees uninformed about the upcoming layoffs.
The word is easy to understand if you break it down. It consists of the prefix 'Un-', which expresses negation, and the noun 'die Kenntnis' (knowledge). So 'Unkenntnis' literally means 'not knowing'.
Seine Kenntnis der deutschen Geschichte ist beeindruckend.
His knowledge of German history is impressive.
'Unkenntnis' is a rather formal word and is often used in written language, in official documents, or in legal contexts. It is relatively rare in normal conversation.
Im Vertrag steht, dass Unkenntnis der Regeln nicht vor Strafe schützt.
The contract states that ignorance of the rules does not protect one from punishment.
'Unkenntnis' is very often used with the preposition 'aus'. The fixed phrase 'aus Unkenntnis' (out of ignorance) expresses that an action happened because of a lack of knowledge.
Er hat den Fehler aus reiner Unkenntnis gemacht, nicht mit Absicht.
He made the mistake out of sheer ignorance, not on purpose.
The fixed expression has a fixed structure: 'jemanden (Akkusativ) über etwas (Akkusativ) in Unkenntnis lassen' (to leave someone uninformed about something). It means that someone deliberately withholds information from a person.
Man hat uns lange über die wahren Gründe in Unkenntnis gelassen.
We were kept uninformed about the real reasons for a long time.
ignorance
Ignoranz and Unkenntnis can both refer to a lack of knowledge. Unkenntnis states objectively that information is missing. Ignoranz can also mean a lack of knowledge, but it can additionally express, in a derogatory way, that someone deliberately disregards a known fact.
Er verletzte die Sicherheitsregeln aus Unkenntnis, weil er sie nicht kannte.
He violated the safety rules out of ignorance because he did not know them.
Er kannte die Sicherheitsregeln, überging sie aber aus Ignoranz.
He knew the safety rules, but ignored them out of ignorance.
