indecipherable

[ in-di-sahy-fer-uh-buhl ]

/ ˌɪn dɪˈsaɪ fər ə bəl /

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See synonyms for indecipherable on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not decipherable; illegible.

not understandable; incomprehensible.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of indecipherable

First recorded in 1795–1805; in-³ + decipherable

OTHER WORDS FROM indecipherable

in·de·ci·pher·a·bil·i·ty, in·de·ci·pher·a·ble·ness, nounin·de·ci·pher·a·bly, adverb

Words nearby indecipherable

indecent, indecent assault, indecent exposure, indeciduate, indeciduous, indecipherable, indecision, indecisive, indecisiveness, indecl., indeclinable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use indecipherable in a sentence

You may find many of these efforts and developments—from governance tokens to volumetric video to haptic gloves—irrelevant or indecipherable, especially in the face of much greater global problems.
Why TIME Is Launching a New Newsletter on the Metaverse|Andrew R. Chow|November 18, 2021|Time
Either they want more control over how their media is bought via online marketplaces that have become indecipherable in parts or they want to squeeze agency costs — the latter doesn’t make the former any less valid.
‘Effectiveness breeds spending’: Procter & Gamble moves to take more marketing in-house|Seb Joseph|November 17, 2021|Digiday
One eyewitness recognized certain symbols like the palm tree but declared the inscriptions to be “indecipherable.”
Why Are There Christian Crosses in Jewish Graves From Ancient Rome?|Candida Moss|October 24, 2021|The Daily Beast
The truth is that anyone can get involved with cryptocurrencies, but if you’re new to them, it can seem like a daunting field, full of indecipherable jargon and security risks.
6 apps to get you started on crypto|David Nield|October 19, 2021|Popular-Science

Those policies are typically indecipherable legalese and vary from one platform to another.
Facebook Says It Supports Internet Regulation. Here's an Ambitious Proposal That Might Actually Make a Difference|Tom Wheeler|April 5, 2021|Time
A silver bucket adorned with indecipherable white symbols sits amid candles and small wooden figures of African gods.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction|Abby Haglage|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet how, in this age of protean trends and indecipherable jargon, are we to draw the line?
When Not to Take a Selfie|James Poulos|December 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Nuclear jargon has evolved into a code that is indecipherable to the layman.
Be Afraid, Very Afraid|Nathaniel Rich|March 15, 2011|DAILY BEAST
His edits often were indecipherable, mysterious marks on the side of the page written with a Sharpie.
The Rove You Don't Know|Matt Latimer|March 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Although Valentine and his two comrades might interrogate the desert, it remained dumb and indecipherable as a closed book.
The Pirates of the Prairies|Gustave Aimard
And what a strange and indecipherable "crypto-porticus" would the "Twopenny Tube" prove to some future Middleton of the ages?
Highways and Byways in London|Mrs. E. T. Cook.
Stoddard looked down at the shameful old man with eyes that were indecipherable.
The Power and the Glory|Grace MacGowan Cooke
But what an indecipherable riddle was this building, standing on a site of the Eocene period!
The Tremendous Event|Maurice Leblanc
It satisfied in some measure the vague, indecipherable yearning of my soul; and it was the same with him.
The White Peacock|D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for indecipherable

indecipherable

/ (ˌɪndɪˈsaɪfərəbəl, -frəbəl) /

adjective

not decipherable; illegible

Derived forms of indecipherable

indecipherability or indecipherableness, nounindecipherably, 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

indecipherable

Origin of indecipherable

OTHER WORDS FROM indecipherable

Words nearby indecipherable

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How to use indecipherable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for indecipherable

Derived forms of indecipherable