functional illiterate

noun

1. a person with some basic education who still falls short of a minimum standard of literacy or whose reading and writing skills are inadequate to everyday needs.

functional illiterate

noun

1. a person whose literacy is insufficient for most work and normal daily situations

Derived Forms

• functional illiteracy, noun

Other Words From

• functional illiteracy noun
• functionally illiterate adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of functional illiterate¹

First recorded in 1945–50