unintelligible

adjective

un·​in·​tel·​li·​gi·​ble ˌən-in-ˈte-lə-jə-bəl How to pronounce unintelligible (audio)
Synonyms of unintelligiblenext
: unable to be understood or comprehended : not intelligible
a song with unintelligible lyrics
unintelligible jargon
… including parenthetical translations of the words and phrases he knew would be unintelligible to contemporary readers.John N. Green
unintelligibility noun
or less commonly unintelligibleness
unintelligibly adverb
muttering unintelligibly

Examples of unintelligible in a Sentence

uttered only a string of unintelligible murmurs
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Death penalty states generally allow last statements from the execution chamber, but Texas catalogs the prisoners’ last words online, except for vulgar and racist language or what sounds unintelligible. Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 20 May 2026 The man responded, but his words are unintelligible in the recording. Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2026 In a video from Reuters, Charles appeared to laugh off Stewart's comment and said something unintelligible before turning to shake hands with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who also got a chuckle out of the exchange. Mike Snider, USA Today, 12 May 2026 Still, even as the memes become borderline unintelligible, Kirkslop contains an air of transgression that imbues the otherwise inane edits and images with perverse political undercurrents. Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unintelligible

Word History

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unintelligible was in 1664

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Cite this Entry

“Unintelligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unintelligible. Accessed 23 May. 2026.

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