illegible

[ ih-lej-uh-buh l ]

/ ɪˈlɛdʒ ə bəl /

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

obscurely, indistinctly, unintelligibly

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 illegibly

Besides, most of the names were scrawled so illegibly, that some deceit was evidently intended.
The Thirty Years War, Complete|Friedrich Schiller
What facts there are are rather like Mrs. Ellicott's handwriting—vague and crossed and illegibly hard to read.
Young People's Pride|Stephen Vincent Benet
Practice in misapplying all that you have learned, with a view to writing as illegibly and slowly as possible.
Silver Links|Various
These grievances, and much more, illegibly scrawled on foreign paper, with a quill pen.
Mount Music|E. Oe. Somerville and Martin Ross

He glared pointedly at the number which was streaked, illegibly, with mud.
"Persons Unknown"|Virginia Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for illegibly

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 illegibly

illegible

adj.

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