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
Before he went viral, James rarely spoke about his disability, or the schooling that left him functionally illiterate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2022
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
Under this loophole, functionally illiterate children can still promote to the fourth grade without learning to read.
From Washington Times ● May 8, 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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