unintelligible
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unintelligible
First recorded in 1610–20; un- 1 + intelligible
Explanation
Something unintelligible is difficult to understand, either because the room is too noisy or because the unintelligible thing is too quiet or confusing. We use our intelligence to understand things, and something intelligible is easy to understand. Therefore, unintelligible things are hard to understand. A coded message is unintelligible if you don't know the code. A whisper in a loud room is unintelligible. A weird sentence like "The waffles ran away from the Easter basket" is unintelligible because it doesn't make any sense. If you can't hear or understand something, it's unintelligible (and probably frustrating too).
Vocabulary lists containing unintelligible
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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.
But overall, the music was at odds with the unintelligible staging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
It’s a strange occurrence, but no stranger than her suddenly speaking an unintelligible language during the morning broadcast, just before collapsing.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
Like Bad Bunny, I have also heard people say that my Puerto Rican Spanish is unintelligible.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
As last year’s wildfires multiplied, still 0% contained, field reporters — tasked with articulating the unintelligible on camera — grieved alongside Los Angeles in real time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
With bated breath, I tried to gasp out what I had seen, but only managed to utter unintelligible, guttural sounds.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
