unintelligible
adjective
un·in·tel·li·gi·ble
ˌən-in-ˈte-lə-jə-bəl 
: 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
John N. GreenExamples of unintelligible in a Sentence
uttered only a string of unintelligible murmurs
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead, first-time director Fergus Campbell drops us directly into Cleo’s world — no parents, no rules and every authority figure is obscured, like the unintelligible adults in Peanuts cartoons.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
Later audio intel from subsidiary figures is likewise frequently rendered unintelligible by distortion, staticky transmission, etc.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 Feb. 2026
Despite being grouped together under the Miao umbrella, the four groups have little in common today, and their languages are different enough as to be unintelligible between groups.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Transcribers often complained that the wax recordings were unintelligible—dictators needed to speak directly into the speaking tube, loudly, clearly, and at an appropriate pace, but many did not.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unintelligible
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Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
Later audio intel from subsidiary figures is likewise frequently rendered unintelligible by distortion, staticky transmission, etc.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 Feb. 2026
Despite being grouped together under the Miao umbrella, the four groups have little in common today, and their languages are different enough as to be unintelligible between groups.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Transcribers often complained that the wax recordings were unintelligible—dictators needed to speak directly into the speaking tube, loudly, clearly, and at an appropriate pace, but many did not.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unintelligible
Cite this Entry
“Unintelligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unintelligible. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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