unreadable

[uhn-ree-duh-buhl]

adjective

1. not readable; undecipherable; scribbled.

   His scrawl was almost unreadable.

2. not interesting to read; dull; tedious; an unreadable treatise.

3. extraordinarily difficult to read or comprehend; obscure; incomprehensible.

   an unreadable dream; an unreadable expression.

unreadable

/ ʌnˈriːdəbəl /

adjective

1. illegible; undecipherable

2. difficult or tedious to read

Other Word Forms

• unreadability noun
• unreadableness noun
• unreadably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unreadable¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; un- ¹ + readable

Example Sentences

Under California privacy laws, it should have been shredded or rendered unreadable.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Her expression is unreadable— ominous, like a cloudy day.

Read more on Literature

Simon and Penelope suspected that the unreadable diary of the ill-fated trip to Ahwoo-Ahwoo might have described the same voyage taken by Pudge and the admiral, and might even have been written by Pudge himself.

Read more on Literature

You shouldn't have to worry about images becoming unreadable for a very long time - thanks to "robust" image file formats like jpeg, according to Prof Winters.

Read more on BBC

The BBC has seen a copy of the judgement which includes the report and a two-page prescription which shows the doctor's unreadable scrawl.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• incomprehensible 
• indecipherable