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Definitions

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.

The fan shouts “Aaron Burr! Aaron Burr!” but his mouth is so stuck full of peanut butter that he’s unintelligible.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

The practice could be seen everywhere on the daily commute, adorned on walls, tunnels and metal shutters - always unintelligible, loud and colourful.

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025

The final five minutes were almost unintelligible, marked almost entirely by crosstalk, as Baier refused to let Harris speak uninterrupted.

From Slate • Oct. 17, 2024

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

He opened the car door and a mix of laughter, loud, unintelligible words, and thrash metal music flowed into our forest and infected it with them.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.