unintelligible

[uhn-in-tel-i-juh-buhl] / ˌʌn ɪnˈtɛl ɪ dʒə bəl /

ADJECTIVE

not understandable

Synonyms

STRONGEST

illegible impenetrable incomprehensible indecipherable meaningless opaque unfathomable vague

WEAK

ambiguous equivocal fathomless inarticulate incognizable incoherent indistinct inexplicit jumbled muddled obscure tenebrous uncertain unclear unexplicit ungraspable unknowable unreadable

Antonyms

STRONGEST

clear comprehensible decipherable fathomable intelligible understandable

WEAK

meaningful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I've heard more than once that my Spanish is unintelligible, the same criticism some people level at Bad Bunny's songs.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

But what has chapped the angry user base seems to be not the A.I. but the unintelligible changes to the platform’s user interface.

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2025

For example, during a rally in Montana on Friday, Trump appears to “glitch” and pause as he searches for words and then makes unintelligible noises and strange utterances.

From Salon • Aug. 13, 2024

After a corrupted chip rendered Voyager 1’s transmissions unintelligible in November 2023, engineers nursed the spacecraft back to health.

From Science Magazine • May 23, 2024

I scrawl something unintelligible in the book and then set my plate awkwardly on the end table next to the sofa, ready to leave less than five minutes after I arrived.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Vocabulary lists containing unintelligible

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