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definitions

illegible

[ih-lej-uh-buh l]
See more synonyms for illegible on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not legible; impossible or hard to read or decipher because of poor handwriting, faded print, etc.: This letter is completely illegible.

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. 2018

Related Words for illegibly

obscurely, indistinctly, unintelligibly

Examples from the Web for illegibly

Historical Examples of illegibly

  • He glared pointedly at the number which was streaked, illegibly, with mud.

    "Persons Unknown"

    Virginia Tracy

  • Besides, most of the names were scrawled so illegibly, that some deceit was evidently intended.

  • 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

  • These grievances, and much more, illegibly scrawled on foreign paper, with a quill pen.

    Mount Music

    E. Oe. Somerville and Martin Ross

  • Practice in misapplying all that you have learned, with a view to writing as illegibly and slowly as possible.

British Dictionary definitions for illegibly

illegible

adjective
  1. 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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper