as in unreadable
incapable of being read or deciphered
illegible signatures on the petition will be disregarded
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illegible
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
Inspectors noted an oil leak, birds’ nests and a broken insulator in Pleasanton, and in Newark, found a rusted anchor for a tower-support cable, along with illegible gauges and birds’ nests.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 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
The anxiety is rooted in the mundane rather than the arch and limns how such mental strife makes others illegible to you.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Inspectors noted an oil leak, birds’ nests and a broken insulator in Pleasanton, and in Newark, found a rusted anchor for a tower-support cable, along with illegible gauges and birds’ nests.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 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
The anxiety is rooted in the mundane rather than the arch and limns how such mental strife makes others illegible to you.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegible
Adjective
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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
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But while Melling is always endearingly open and responsive, Skarsgård stays unreadable.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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His big break came when the Tar Heels hired him — a guy with direct connections to Air Force and Kansas, but not so much to UNC — to be an obscure assistant coach.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
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Rename the file, banish it to some obscure folder.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Apple’s new guidelines might be a sign that the music industry understands why people want Sienna’s indecipherable shirts to come with a Transparency Tag.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Like Colleen, Giurgis’ adaptation is allergic to the faintest traces of sincerity or urgency.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Winnipeg Jets came to Ball Arena and kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a 4-2 victory against the league-leading Avalanche.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 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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The full scope of these reparations remains unclear, and a specific dollar amount wasn’t noted.—
Justin Klawans,
TheWeek,
30 Mar. 2026
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How much remains unclear, but the optics were concerning for a player whose game is built on physicality, effort and toughness.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Illegible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegible. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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