as in illegible
incapable of being read or deciphered
undecipherable stone inscriptions that have inspired a wide assortment of theories
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Recent Examples of undecipherable
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
Hinton then offered an extremely detailed scientific explanation of why that's the case -- an explanation that would be undecipherable to anyone but an AI creator like himself.
—Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 4 May 2023
When the Giants finally chose Kadarius Toney, a wide receiver from the University of Florida, with the 20th pick in the N.F.L. draft, the team’s fans in Cleveland took a good 10 seconds to start a slow clap, mouthing undecipherable questions beneath their masks.
—New York Times, 30 Apr. 2021
Other inventions included a mysterious writing system that remains undecipherable, and novel techniques in metallurgy.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2021
Or rebels will sport uniforms with red octagons and undecipherable ancient script.
—Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 9 Oct. 2020
Beyond a certain length (in decimal digits), the RSA code becomes impregnable and therefore any message based on it undecipherable (in a reasonably finite length of time) by an eavesdropper.
—Amir Aczel, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2013
In the video, Travolta uses a bit of a baby voice with the animal, but his words are essentially undecipherable as he gets slobbered on by the aforementioned Peanut.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 1 Oct. 2022
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
Hinton then offered an extremely detailed scientific explanation of why that's the case -- an explanation that would be undecipherable to anyone but an AI creator like himself.
—Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 4 May 2023
When the Giants finally chose Kadarius Toney, a wide receiver from the University of Florida, with the 20th pick in the N.F.L. draft, the team’s fans in Cleveland took a good 10 seconds to start a slow clap, mouthing undecipherable questions beneath their masks.
—New York Times, 30 Apr. 2021
Other inventions included a mysterious writing system that remains undecipherable, and novel techniques in metallurgy.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2021
Or rebels will sport uniforms with red octagons and undecipherable ancient script.
—Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 9 Oct. 2020
Beyond a certain length (in decimal digits), the RSA code becomes impregnable and therefore any message based on it undecipherable (in a reasonably finite length of time) by an eavesdropper.
—Amir Aczel, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2013
In the video, Travolta uses a bit of a baby voice with the animal, but his words are essentially undecipherable as he gets slobbered on by the aforementioned Peanut.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 1 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undecipherable
illegible
Adjective
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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
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Sponsor is not responsible for illegible, incomplete or stolen Entries, or Entries that are processed late or are lost or deleted due to computer or electronic malfunction, or other error.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Undecipherable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undecipherable. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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