innumeracy
ih-NOO-mer-uh-see
/ˌɪnj uːˈmərəsi/
A lack of basic math skills and understanding of numerical concepts.
Often highlights how otherwise intelligent people tolerate poor math skills without social embarrassment.
The story behind the word. Formed in the late 20th century by prefixing 'in-' (not) to 'numeracy' to mirror 'illiteracy' in educational debate.
Word relationships
- math illiteracy: Math illiteracy is a descriptive phrase, whereas innumeracy is the precise single-word noun.
- numeracy: Numeracy represents full mathematical understanding.
Commonly confused with
- innumerable: Innumerable means too many to count; innumeracy means inability to understand numbers.
Word family
- innumerate (adjective): Lacking basic mathematical skills.
Collocations
- widespread innumeracy
- combat innumeracy
- victim of innumeracy
- mathematical innumeracy
Example sentences
- "Widespread innumeracy makes people vulnerable to misleading statistics and financial scams." Popular Science
- "In his book Innumeracy, John Allen Paulos argued that mathematical illiteracy plagues modern society." Non-Fiction Literature
Memory hook
IN-numeracy = IN-ability to do math. IN = NOT + NUMERACY.
When not to use
Do not use to describe simple calculation errors or occasional miscounts.
Fun facts
- Mathematician John Allen Paulos popularized this word in 1988 with his bestselling book.
Related words
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