semiliterate

American  

[sem-ee-lit-er-it, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm iˈlɪt ər ɪt, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

1. barely able to read and write.

2. capable of reading but not writing.

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

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noun

1. a person who is semiliterate.

semiliterate British  

/ ˌsɛmɪˈlɪtərɪt /

adjective

1. hardly able to read or write

2. able to read but not to write

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Other Word Forms

• semiliteracy noun

Etymology

Origin of semiliterate

First recorded in 1925–30; semi- + literate

Example Sentences

Coast Guard in international waters every year, most of them poor, semiliterate fishermen from Central and South America driven to smuggling with offers of more money than they’ve ever seen — in Dávila-Reyes’ case $6,000.

From Seattle Times

"But sometimes we want to make laws even clearer so that even semiliterate psychopaths have a chance at understanding them."

From Salon

Undereducated, semiliterate and Black, he was routinely and easily dismissed in his youth.

From Washington Post

In appearances on the show beginning in 2006, Carlson variously referred to Iraqis as “semiliterate primitive monkeys” and described “a culture where people just don’t use toilet paper or forks.”

From Washington Post

What's more, a number of letters were upside down or reversed, hinting that the writer was only semiliterate.

From Fox News