semiliterate

[ sem-ee-lit-er-it, sem-ahy- ]

adjective
  1. barely able to read and write.

  2. capable of reading but not writing.

  1. literate but poorly skilled or informed; lacking the proficiency of a literate person.

noun
  1. a person who is semiliterate.

Origin of semiliterate

1
First recorded in 1925–30; semi- + literate

Other words from semiliterate

  • sem·i·lit·er·a·cy [sem-ee-lit-er-uh-see, sem-ahy-], /ˌsɛm iˈlɪt ər ə si, ˌsɛm aɪ-/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use semiliterate in a sentence

  • Between 1944 and 1950 there were special courses that were aimed at both total illiterates and semiliterates.

    Area Handbook for Bulgaria | Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole

British Dictionary definitions for semiliterate

semiliterate

/ (ˌsɛmɪˈlɪtərɪt) /


adjective
  1. hardly able to read or write

  2. able to read but not to write

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012