inaudible

adjective

in·​au·​di·​ble (ˌ)i-ˈnȯ-də-bəl 

: not audible

inaudible comments

inaudibility

(ˌ)i-ˌnȯ-də-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

inaudibly

(ˌ)i-ˈnȯ-də-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

With its negative prefix in-, inaudible means the opposite of audible. What's clearly audible to you may be inaudible to your elderly grandfather. Modern spy technology can turn inaudible conversations into audible ones with the use of high-powered directional microphones, so if you think you're being spied on, make sure there's a lot of other noise around you. And if you don't want everyone around you to know you're bored, keep your sighs inaudible.

Examples of inaudible in a Sentence

She spoke so quietly that she was almost inaudible.

The sound is inaudible to humans but can be heard by dogs.

Recent Examples on the Web

From mics not being on to monitors and sound levels being all over the place, a few sets (like the completely inaudible first song of Basement’s performance) were hindered by issues. —Josh Chesler, SPIN, 23 Sep. 2024

The settlement is the size of Singapore and was built with housing, schools, and [inaudible 00:16:20] for up to 70,000 refugees. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2023

But there will be another opportunity for the public to understand any exchanges made inaudible during the telecast. —Hadas Gold, CNN, 10 Sep. 2024

Grande went on to barely break a sweat while eating the spicy vegan wings, save for an inaudible burp here and there. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin inaudibilis, from Latin in- + Late Latin audibilis audible

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

inaudible

adjective

in·​au·​di·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈȯd-ə-bəl 

: impossible to hear : not audible

inaudibility

(ˌ)in-ˌȯd-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

inaudibly

(ˈ)in-ˈȯd-ə-blē 

adverb