indistinguishable
Americanadjective
-
not distinguishable.
-
indiscernible; imperceptible.
adjective
-
identical or very similar (to)
twins indistinguishable from one another
-
not easily perceptible; indiscernible
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of indistinguishable
First recorded in 1600–10; in- 3 + distinguishable ( def. )
Explanation
If you can't tell the difference between two things, they're indistinguishable — they appear the same. Although their parents can tell them apart, identical twins are indistinguishable to most people. It's easy to see which of two bills is worth twenty dollars and which is Monopoly money, but a professionally counterfeited bill is indistinguishable from a real one. One of the earliest uses of this word was by Shakespeare around 1600, when he gave it the meaning "of indeterminate shape." The definition evolved, first to "not clearly perceived," and then finally to "incapable of being told apart."
Vocabulary lists containing indistinguishable
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 1
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Brave New World
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Words with 15 or More Letters, List 1
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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.
Indistinguishable, perhaps, save for the inexplicable cracks that soon leave Aisha awash in a wave of madness.
From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2022
Indistinguishable in look and heft from a dime-store cash-in, it even has back-page ads for hard-boiled reads like “Serpico” and Elmore Leonard’s “The Switch.”
From Washington Post • Jun. 28, 2021
Indistinguishable clones would probably end up confusing the marketplace.
From Time Magazine Archive
Indistinguishable as U.S. and U.N. attitudes may outwardly appear, Washington has reached the private judgment that, for U.S. policy.
From Time Magazine Archive
Indistinguishable sounds of approval rose around me—quiet laughter, clearing throats, whispers.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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.
