illegible
adjective
il·leg·i·ble
(ˌ)i(l)-ˈle-jə-bəl 
: not legible : indecipherable
illegible writing
Examples of illegible in a Sentence
illegible signatures on the petition will be disregarded
Recent Examples on the Web
But a prelinguistic intuition also simmers, for example, in a set of illegible, calligraphic drawings that suggest something just preceding the nascence of writing.
—
Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
In late December, the Parodontax Active Gum Health mouthwash was pulled from shelves due to missing or illegible lot codes and expiration dates.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 30 Jan. 2026
He was less intimidated by its befuddling organization and had grown accustomed to the antiquated spellings and the nearly illegible, unpunctuated scribblings of harried seventeenth-century officials.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Inspectors noted an oil leak, birds’ nests and a broken insulator in Pleasanton, and in Newark, found a rusted anchor for a tower-support cable, along with illegible gauges and birds’ nests.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
In late December, the Parodontax Active Gum Health mouthwash was pulled from shelves due to missing or illegible lot codes and expiration dates.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 30 Jan. 2026
He was less intimidated by its befuddling organization and had grown accustomed to the antiquated spellings and the nearly illegible, unpunctuated scribblings of harried seventeenth-century officials.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Inspectors noted an oil leak, birds’ nests and a broken insulator in Pleasanton, and in Newark, found a rusted anchor for a tower-support cable, along with illegible gauges and birds’ nests.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Cite this Entry
“Illegible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illegible. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
illegible
adjective
il·leg·i·ble
(ˈ)il-ˈ(l)ej-ə-bəl
: impossible or very hard to read
illegible handwriting
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
