intelligible

adjective

in·​tel·​li·​gi·​ble in-ˈte-lə-jə-bəl 

1

: capable of being understood or comprehended

jargon intelligible only to the initiated

2

: apprehensible by the intellect only

intelligibility

in-ˌte-lə-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

intelligibleness

in-ˈte-lə-jə-bəl-nəs 

noun

intelligibly

in-ˈte-lə-jə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms of intelligible

• understandable
• accessible
• comprehensible

Examples of intelligible in a Sentence

the ability to make complex concepts intelligible to the average reader

Very little of the recording was intelligible.

Recent Examples on the Web

In a busy cafe environment, the buds successfully eliminate most of the background noise, but my voice becomes more compressed and less intelligible. — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026

China has also invested in narrative power—the capacity to present its conduct in legal terms that foreign audiences will find intelligible and persuasive. — Mark Jia, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026

Tamil itself is no less a political construction, with public discourse and education carried out in a self-consciously archaic form of the language only half-intelligible to many speakers of its multifarious vernaculars. — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

The Minions lose their Hollywood careers because sound arrives and nobody can understand their language, the same problem the real franchise solved 16 years ago by never giving its characters intelligible dialogue in the first place. — David Deal, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin intelligibilis, from intelligere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for intelligible

• eligible
• ineligible
• unintelligible

Kids Definition

intelligible

adjective

in·​tel·​li·​gi·​ble in-ˈtel-ə-jə-bəl 

: able to be understood

intelligibility

-ˌtel-ə-jə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

intelligibleness

-ˈtel-ə-jə-bəl-nəs 

noun

intelligibly

-blē 

adverb