inaudible
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inaudible
Explanation
Inaudible is another way of saying "hushed" or "silent." If you thought the bad words you muttered under your breath were inaudible, perhaps you should've turned off that microphone in front of you! In Latin, audire means “to hear,” so it makes sense, then, that inaudible means “imperceptible by the ear,” since in- means “not.” You should strive to speak in a near-inaudible whisper if you need to talk to your seatmate at the opera, but in normal, everyday conversation, you won’t get your point across unless you talk at a louder volume. Synonyms for inaudible range from faint and muffled to uncommunicative and voiceless.
Vocabulary lists containing inaudible
Common Senses: Aud ("Hear")
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"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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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.
HOW IT WORKS: Inaudible sonar sound waves from the phone's speaker bounce off a patient's body and back to the phone.
From Scientific American • Aug. 8, 2015
Mr. Afterman and his company, Inaudible Productions, have been paid $1.2 million in fees by the estate since 2011.
From New York Times • Dec. 13, 2014
Inaudible to most adults, the tone was supposed to repel mosquitoes, allowing listeners to relax in the open air without fear of getting bitten.
From BBC • Dec. 11, 2012
Inaudible though they are, such vibrations have their uses.
From Time Magazine Archive
At this hour are "-river and hill and wood, With all the numberless goings on of life, Inaudible as dreams"; while the planets look down upon you with the faces of smiling friends.
From Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah — Volume 1 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
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.
