as in unreadable
incapable of being read or deciphered
illegible signatures on the petition will be disregarded
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illegible
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
In other words, the historical record seems as illegible as my own prehistoric handwriting.
—Literary Hub, 12 June 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
Acronyms and jargon illegible to civilians are flying everywhere, and the world effectively shrinks down to a two-story duplex the Americans have commandeered and the market across the street viewed almost exclusively through a sniper’s scope.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Thessaly La Force, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2025
In other words, the historical record seems as illegible as my own prehistoric handwriting.
—Literary Hub, 12 June 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
Acronyms and jargon illegible to civilians are flying everywhere, and the world effectively shrinks down to a two-story duplex the Americans have commandeered and the market across the street viewed almost exclusively through a sniper’s scope.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegible
Adjective
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The serial number on the rifle was obliterated and unreadable.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
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Cloud services protect your data using encryption, which makes information unreadable to unauthorized users.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The obscure defensive lineman spent the first month of the season on the shelf, but after returning for the 27-24 comeback win over the Miami Dolphins, the former Alabama standout is expected to be a healthy presence in the trenches for the Carolina Panthers.—
Mike Kaye
October 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Oct. 2025
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Instead of invoking the Act, the White House is using Section 12-406 of Title 10, an obscure provision of federal law, to claim authority to bring in National Guard troops, NPR's Jaclyn Diaz tells Up First.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Amid the hangover of the 0-4 start, students shuffled out their dorms, lured by free food and faint promise of school spirit at the Rose Bowl.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Visitors report hearing faint voices and screams when inside the room.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Key details of the plan are still unclear.—
Yamiche Alcindor,
NBC news,
10 Oct. 2025
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The connection between the shooting incidents remains unclear.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illegible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegible. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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