invisible

adjective

in·​vis·​i·​ble (ˌ)in-ˈvi-zə-bəl 

1

a

: incapable by nature of being seen : not perceptible by vision

a movie about an invisible man

invisible ultraviolet light

b

: inaccessible to view : hidden

an invisible hinge

also : not marked by outward signs

an invisible illness

c

: not openly acknowledged or made known

Had I offended him? Did I cross an invisible line?

—Denis Wilson

There are still invisible barriers and glass ceilings which discourage women from studying STEM fields …

—Forbes (online)

d

: not able to be recognized or identified

an invisible enemy/threat

… deepened their belief that invisible forces were out to control them …

—Luke Mogelson

2

: of such small size or unobtrusive quality as to be hardly noticeable : inconspicuous

an invisible scar

… offering consumers invisible braces that can straighten their smiles in a matter of months without them having to visit the orthodontist …

—Danielle Jackson

3

: not noticed or acknowledged : treated as if invisible : overlooked

To now dominate in an industry that a year ago I was invisible in … is something I unapologetically take great pride in.

—Fallon Gregory

… highlighting the narratives of society's most underserved and invisible groups.

—Kevin Varzandeh

4

a

: not appearing in published financial statements

invisible assets

b

: not reflected in statistics

Teaching English to foreign visitors is estimated to be Britain's sixth largest invisible export …

—The Economist

invisibility

(ˌ)in-ˌvi-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

invisibleness

(ˌ)in-ˈvi-zə-bəl-nəs 

noun

invisibly

(ˌ)in-ˈvi-zə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms of invisible

• discreet
• unnoticed
• inconspicuous

Examples of invisible in a Sentence

a thriller about an invisible man

With the telescope we can see details of the planet's surface that are ordinarily invisible.

She feels as if her success is being blocked by an invisible barrier.

Homelessness is no longer an invisible problem for this city.

Recent Examples on the Web

This is where constellations like Leo, Virgo and Coma Berenices host dozens of faint galaxies — most invisible to the naked eye and small optical-only telescopes, even in excellent conditions. —Jamie Carter, Space.com, 6 June 2026

The injury — raw, oozing, angry — had turned our lives upside down, but it was rendered invisible in the institutional review. —Nisha Narayanan, STAT, 5 June 2026

Such black holes would be extremely hard to spot and thus might account for some or all of the universe’s dark matter—an invisible, lightless something that seems to act like gravitational glue, binding together galaxies and galaxy clusters. —Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 4 June 2026

With the World Cup kickoff just over a week away, climate scientists are warning that heat could be an invisible opponent, slowing play at open-air venues like Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium), sapping players’ legs and testing fans in sweltering conditions. —Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin invisibilis, from in- + visibilis visible

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing invisible

• invisible hand
• invisible ink

Rhymes for invisible

• risible
• visible
• divisible
• metabolizable

Kids Definition

invisible

adjective

in·​vis·​i·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈviz-ə-bəl 

1

: impossible to see

sound is invisible

2

: being so small or slight as to be hardly noticeable

an invisible error

invisibility

(ˌ)in-ˌviz-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

invisibly

(ˈ)in-ˈviz-ə-blē 

adverb