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.
Many of the items, though, were indistinguishable, draped in black wrappings or in wooden boxes.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Those U.S. games will make for compelling theater, but the Yanks’ chances of winning the tournament are mathematically indistinguishable from zero.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
The scandal wasn’t merely that hoax papers were published, but that they were indistinguishable from actual scholarship in those fields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
Swapping them produces a state that is physically indistinguishable from the original one, meaning the measurable properties of the system must remain unchanged.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
At times he feels as if he’s cast himself in a play, acting the part of twins, indistinguishable to the naked eye yet fundamentally different.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
