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ignorancia

ignorance

noun eeg-noh-RAHN-syah Rare

Usage Note

Ignorancia refers to a lack of knowledge or awareness, and can be used neutrally (simple unawareness) or pejoratively (wilful ignorance). The phrase la ignorancia de la ley no exime de su cumplimiento ('ignorance of the law is no excuse') is a common legal maxim in Spanish. Do not confuse with ignorar, which in modern usage often means 'to ignore' (not just 'to not know'), a usage that mirrors the English false friend.

Examples

"La ignorancia sobre el tema era evidente."

Natural Translation

The ignorance on the subject was evident.

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