functionally illiterate
Americanadjective
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An Education Department study in 2024 found that 1 in 4 young adults are functionally illiterate, even though more than half received high-school diplomas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
She's moved to tears as an illiterate Tasmanian man struggles to read a paragraph for the first time, citing that almost 50% of Tasmanian adults are functionally illiterate.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2022
“He’s functionally illiterate in English,” Mr. Todd, a federal public defender, told the court.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 20, 2020
He is also functionally illiterate and does not have a high school diploma.
From Washington Post ● May 17, 2018
About 70 percent of people with criminal records did not complete high school, and according to at least one study, about half are functionally illiterate.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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