as in unreadable
incapable of being read or deciphered
illegible signatures on the petition will be disregarded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illegible
The letter featured a number of typos, and the Federal Reserve’s seal was illegible and appeared to be generated by artificial intelligence.
—
Brett Samuels, The Hill, 22 July 2025
His striking work, Protest, depicts the bloodshed of Sri Lanka’s long civil war, using books that are charred or rendered illegible, often decorated with symbolic or figurative objects, like toy-soldier figurines marching across a soiled page.
—Thessaly La Force, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2025
When the works’ motors are switched on, the sculptures spin rapidly and the texts dissolve in a whirl of motion, becoming nearly or entirely illegible.
—Marina Isgro, Artforum, 1 June 2025
When the world becomes illegible, the present becomes illegible.
—Sean Illing, Vox, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Brett Samuels, The Hill, 22 July 2025
His striking work, Protest, depicts the bloodshed of Sri Lanka’s long civil war, using books that are charred or rendered illegible, often decorated with symbolic or figurative objects, like toy-soldier figurines marching across a soiled page.
—Thessaly La Force, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2025
When the works’ motors are switched on, the sculptures spin rapidly and the texts dissolve in a whirl of motion, becoming nearly or entirely illegible.
—Marina Isgro, Artforum, 1 June 2025
When the world becomes illegible, the present becomes illegible.
—Sean Illing, Vox, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegible
Adjective
-
The serial number on the rifle was obliterated and unreadable.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Cloud services protect your data using encryption, which makes information unreadable to unauthorized users.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And yet, as the 2008 financial crisis showed, trouble on Main Street can start in obscure corners of Wall Street.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Sasagawa searched YouTube for old and obscure emo bands, and came across a 2012 upload of Everyone Asked About You’s vinyl album.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Many listeners felt the quality of Lennon’s home recordings left the singer muddy and indecipherable in the mix.—
Dave Paulson,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
-
The two new model names—gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b—may be indecipherable to non-engineers, but that’s because OpenAI is setting its sights on AI builders and developers seeking to rapidly build on real-world use cases on their own systems.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
From there, look for a curved line of slightly fainter stars that extends up to the upper right.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Fresh spinach is brighter in flavor and color, and has a subtle earthiness and faint sweetness.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Claims complexity: The billing process between hospitals and insurers is opaque to patients, who often receive surprising and undecipherable bills months after receiving care.—
Dan Gingiss,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The future of Rutgers and TurnkeyZRG’s working relationship remains unclear, but the master services agreement remains in effect.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
16 Oct. 2025
-
There’s so much armor in being unclear.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illegible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegible. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share