semiliterate

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English

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Etymology

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From semi- +‎ literate.

Adjective

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semiliterate (not comparable)

  1. Not entirely literate; having a limited grasp of the written language.
    Synonym: subliterate
    Coordinate terms: illiterate, literate
    • 2003, Toni Morrison, Love, Vintage (2016), page 75:
      With the necessary prowess of the semiliterate, Heed had a flawless memory, and like most nonreaders, she was highly numerate.

Translations

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Noun

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semiliterate (plural semiliterates)

  1. A person who is semiliterate.
    Synonym: subliterate
    Coordinate terms: illiterate, literate
    • 1988 December 11, Susana Darwin, “Keep Editing, Rita Mae”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 22, page 10:
      If Rita Mae Brown were an exceptional writer, I might be more willing to give an ear to her pontificating [] But even as a pulp writer, Brown will have to treat lesbians as more than a bunch of anencephalic semi-literates who will sanctify her name forevermore. We have to have the guts to say, "Keep editing, Rita Mae; paper is cheap and we expect better!"
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