definitions

illegible

[ ih-lej-uh-buh l ]
/ ɪˈlɛdʒ ə bəl /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR illegible ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not legible; impossible or hard to read or decipher because of poor handwriting, faded print, etc.: This letter is completely illegible.

RELATED WORDS

indecipherable, unintelligible, cramped, faint, indistinct, obscure, scrawled, unclear, undecipherable, crabbed, hieroglyphic

Nearby words

illegal alien, illegal procedure, illegality, illegalize, illegally, illegible, illegit, illegitimacy, illegitimate, illegitimatize, illegitimize

Origin of illegible

First recorded in 1605–15; il-2 + legible
Related formsil·leg·i·bil·i·ty, il·leg·i·ble·ness, nounil·leg·i·bly, adverb
Can be confusedillegible illiterate unreadable
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for illegible

British Dictionary definitions for illegible

illegible

/ (ɪˈlɛdʒɪbəl) /

adjective

unable to be read or deciphered
Derived Formsillegibility or illegibleness, nounillegibly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for illegible

illegible

adj.

1630s, from assimilated form of in- (1) "not, opposite of" + legible. Related: Illegibly; illegibility.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper