as in unreadable
incapable of being read or deciphered
illegible signatures on the petition will be disregarded
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illegible
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
The bottles may have 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
In November, the service in Rapid City, South Dakota, posted a map that included illegible location names, leading to widespread mockery.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
The bottles may have 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
In November, the service in Rapid City, South Dakota, posted a map that included illegible location names, leading to widespread mockery.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegible
Adjective
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Denilson Baniwa has argued that one of Indigenous art’s most effective instruments of resistance is disguise—the adoption of non-Indigenous forms to achieve legibility in white, institutional terms, while the actual logic resides elsewhere, unreadable to those the work isn’t intended for.—
María Carri,
Artforum,
16 Apr. 2026
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Yasmin Kara-Hanani and Henry Muck are out of their depth in the flashy offices of Tender, a start-up led by the smooth-talking, unreadable Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella).—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Enforcement will soon begin on an obscure New York City law passed in 2009 that requires most businesses to replace traditional solid roll-down security gates with versions that are at least 70% transparent.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Upon finding an obscure Latin translation of Howard’s in Nancy’s notebook, Mary realizes the two were having an affair before her death and confronts Howard, who vehemently denies any involvement with Nancy.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Diving into our nearly indecipherable monthly utility bills, most customers will find their electric delivery charges exceed their electric generation charges.—
Craig D. Rose,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
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Steven Soderbergh’s art-forgery movie looks cool, as does Digger, the indecipherable Tom Cruise–Alejandro Iñárritu thing.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Unlike total solar eclipses, which reveal the sun's faint outer atmosphere, annular eclipses are still a form of partial eclipse and require proper eye protection to view safely.—
Ryan French,
Space.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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One of these experiment models, ABRACADABRA, employs high-sensitivity radio to capture the faint hum of axion’s oscillating magnetic fields thanks to the close cooperation of UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The spirit and the symbolism were, at times, undecipherable.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
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Several creators who previously worked day jobs tell Rolling Stone that there’s an ongoing stigma surrounding the idea of leaving a steady day job — a stigma that’s decided less by rules and more by undecipherable vibes.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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Exactly how many of those came directly from jail is unclear.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Apr. 2026
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Jenkins noted the drop could provide some short-term relief but with Middle East conditions still unclear, prices could move higher again.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Illegible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegible. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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