as in unreadable
incapable of being read or deciphered
illegible signatures on the petition will be disregarded
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illegible
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
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
See All Example Sentences for illegible
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
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
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegible
Adjective
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But while Melling is always endearingly open and responsive, Skarsgård stays unreadable.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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In early 2025, the victim was 56-year-old Gerald Neal, a pedestrian who was run over twice as an unmarked police truck chased a vehicle in Holden Heights over an unreadable license plate.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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As Ecklund later learned, the sign was a reference to a once-obscure federal statute, 18 US Code 111, that has become a key tool used by immigration agents to detain American citizens.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Some deserving names, though, are still obscure, and that is why an exhibition at Poster House, on West Twenty-third Street, running until April 12th, is to be welcomed with gusto.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Fleming ends the piece by imagining a day when all the boomers show up on the White House lawn ominously holding their indecipherable Bitmoji over their heads.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
19 Feb. 2026
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The highway sign was nearly indecipherable beneath layers of stickers and graffiti.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Hearing the faint sirens of the white police officers who have been monitoring the area for no real reason, Kid attempts to blend into the party by grabbing the mic of the bored DJ—played by Parliament-Funkadelic’s George Clinton—to freestyle.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
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But Charli ends the album with a sense of faint dawn creeping in against the gloom.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 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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More than sixty years later, some details about the assassination remain unclear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Feb. 2026
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Whether a judge has ruled on Seraphine’s placement is unclear because the proceedings are closed to the public.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Illegible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegible. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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