as in understandable
capable of being understood
speculation on the odds that a communication from a far-off planet would be intelligible
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Recent Examples of intelligible
The earliest Shaker songs, including ones attributed to Lee, have no intelligible language.
—
Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
His intelligible goals are, first, to create a new mass market and, second, to have Tesla hold a dominant position in that market.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 14 Nov. 2025
While these words all appear in the dictionary, this subculture has separated them from any consistent or intelligible application; here, they are merely deployed for atmospheric texture.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
Well, a University of Texas at Arlington researcher is aiming to turn barks, howls and whimpers of man’s best friend into intelligible speech — a kind of Rosetta Stone of woof.
—Miriam Fauzia, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intelligible
Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
His intelligible goals are, first, to create a new mass market and, second, to have Tesla hold a dominant position in that market.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 14 Nov. 2025
While these words all appear in the dictionary, this subculture has separated them from any consistent or intelligible application; here, they are merely deployed for atmospheric texture.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
Well, a University of Texas at Arlington researcher is aiming to turn barks, howls and whimpers of man’s best friend into intelligible speech — a kind of Rosetta Stone of woof.
—Miriam Fauzia, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intelligible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intelligible
Adjective
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Those reactions are not only understandable.—
Adam Benzine,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
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This is a downgrade for the beloved trackpad, but an understandable place to cut costs on the Neo.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Depending on room type, features may include mobility-accessible tubs, roll-in showers, transfer showers, and hearing-accessible enhancements such as visual alarms and notification devices for the door and telephone.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Mar. 2026
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The border area -- where militant groups, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, are also active -- is not accessible to the media and the Associated Press could not independently confirm any of the casualty reports.—
SUZAN FRASER AND MUNIR AHMED THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Assistive listening studies report that bypassing room acoustics and delivering audio directly can improve signal‑to‑noise ratios by 15–20 dB, making announcements comprehensible and lectures clearer [8].—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
26 Feb. 2026
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Something essential was happening in the hard work of trying to make your thoughts comprehensible to another human being (even if that human being was just your teacher).—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Intelligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intelligible. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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