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. )
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.
But he is best known for his inimitable, Surrealist pictures featuring skeletal, architectonic figures—merging humans, animals, foliage, totems and signs—which, though indecipherable, are instantly recognizable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026
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
You can do that through cheap tricks, or you can see that, despite the importance of place and the deep meaning rural people have in particular, their concerns, anxieties, and hopes are not indecipherable.
From Salon • Aug. 21, 2024
With Can, his enigmatic, sometimes indecipherable utterances wove through free-flowing grooves.
From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2024
Each cage was labeled in some indecipherable scientific jargon.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
