indecipherable
Americanadjective
-
not decipherable; illegible.
-
not understandable; incomprehensible.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- indecipherability noun
- indecipherableness noun
- indecipherably adverb
Etymology
Origin of indecipherable
First recorded in 1795–1805; in- 3 + decipherable ( def. )
Explanation
Something that's indecipherable can't be understood. When you can't read your dad's messy handwriting, you can describe it as indecipherable. You'll find Italian poetry to be indecipherable if you don't speak Italian, and you may find some experimental films indecipherable even if they're in English. If you can't figure out the meaning of something, it's indecipherable. At the heart of this adjective is cipher, which means "code" or "secret way of writing." When you decipher something, you crack the code — but if it's indecipherable, the meaning remains a secret.
Vocabulary lists containing indecipherable
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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.
Until recently, Mayan script was indecipherable; Mr. Stuart is among the few who helped to unlock it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
He paused, looked into the indecipherable gray at his feet.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2025
The defining complaint about the sacked Dutchman was that after two-and-a-bit seasons the football was still formless and the tactical direction indecipherable.
From BBC • Nov. 1, 2024
With Can, his enigmatic, sometimes indecipherable utterances wove through free-flowing grooves.
From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2024
Her life may have been her language, formal, developed, indecipherable.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
