illegible

adjective

il·​leg·​i·​ble (ˌ)i(l)-ˈle-jə-bəl 

: not legible : indecipherable

illegible writing

illegibility

(ˌ)i(l)-ˌle-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

illegibly

(ˌ)i(l)-ˈle-jə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• unreadable
• obscure
• indecipherable
• faint
• undecipherable
• unclear

Examples of illegible in a Sentence

illegible signatures on the petition will be disregarded

Recent Examples on the Web

Simon managed to keep scribbling on his yellow legal pad but his handwriting, illegible on a good day, quickly deteriorated into nothing more than chicken scratch. —Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025

Sponsor is not responsible for any lost, late, misdirected, illegible, incomplete, mutilated, postage due or mechanically reproduced Entries or Entries that have been tampered with or not obtained through legitimate channels, all of which will be disqualified. —Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025

In 1494, for example, mathematician and ‘father of modern accounting’ Luca Pacioli wrote of Venetian merchants willfully rendering their ledgers illegible. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025

Wilson showed her a picture of their first tag, an illegible scrawl. —Madeleine Wulfahrt, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for illegible

• legible

Kids Definition

illegible

adjective

il·​leg·​i·​ble (ˈ)il-ˈ(l)ej-ə-bəl 

: impossible or very hard to read

illegible handwriting

illegibly

(ˈ)il-ˈ(l)ej-ə-blē 

adverb