as in incomprehensible
impossible to understand
uttered only a string of unintelligible murmurs
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Recent Examples of unintelligible
To the unfamiliar and incurious, the cacophony is unintelligible mush, but Che’s melodic knack and unpredictable cadences hold as much feeling as flash, yielding some of his most potent songs yet.
—
Pitchfork, 2 Dec. 2025
The removal of Spears' Instagram account came after years of public concern and defense over her social media presence, in which the pop star has been seen posting dance videos (including with knives), sometimes with unintelligible and bizarre captions.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
The vendor said some other things that were unintelligible because of the overlap between her live speech and the lagging translation.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
But in an Akan language, the notion that an object could exist as a bare substrate, stripped of properties—say, the idea of a stone, with its weight, texture, and color subtracted—is basically unintelligible; the metaphysical split between a thing and its properties isn’t naturally expressible.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintelligible
Pitchfork, 2 Dec. 2025
The removal of Spears' Instagram account came after years of public concern and defense over her social media presence, in which the pop star has been seen posting dance videos (including with knives), sometimes with unintelligible and bizarre captions.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
The vendor said some other things that were unintelligible because of the overlap between her live speech and the lagging translation.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
But in an Akan language, the notion that an object could exist as a bare substrate, stripped of properties—say, the idea of a stone, with its weight, texture, and color subtracted—is basically unintelligible; the metaphysical split between a thing and its properties isn’t naturally expressible.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintelligible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintelligible
Adjective
-
The crime thriller featured Benicio Del Toro’s breakout role as the incomprehensible low-level criminal Fred Fenster.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
-
This effort to throttle transparency of a project that is already the subject of international derision is incomprehensible as well as offensive to the public’s right to know.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Massie’s comments shined a new spotlight on Les Wexner, the former owner of Victoria’s Secret, who is one of the most mysterious figures in Epstein’s orbit – a key player in helping the financier’s rise to extreme wealth, whose motivations and ties to Epstein have long been a source of speculation.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The parades are organized by elite and mysterious krewes that spend months preparing for the holiday, decorating their floats and selecting those who get to ride on them.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Here's a breakdown of the somewhat confusing chain of events from this week.—
Hannah Hudnall,
Louisville Courier Journal,
12 Feb. 2026
-
What’s confusing is that Kevan is so confused to be stood up.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But wow, the resemblance is uncanny!—
Fleurine Tideman,
Glamour,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Aivwis Angry Mama Microwave Oven Steam Cleaner Microwaves have an uncanny way of getting gross quickly, and cleaning can be a real drag.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Then over the past weekend, the family posted another video — one that was more cryptic and generated even more speculation about Nancy Guthrie’s fate.—
Hallie Golden,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
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Then over the past weekend, the family posted another video — one that was more cryptic and generated even more speculation about Nancy Guthrie’s fate.—
TY ONEIL,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Neighbors shares a cinematic style with esoteric filmmakers such as The History of Concrete’s John Wilson, and Lance Oppenheim, who is behind docs such as Some Kind of Heaven and Ren Faire.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Lightwall can tell you its name, who created it and answer more esoteric questions about its purpose.—
Greg Mellen,
Oc Register,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Blogs, tweets, and podcasts bypass traditional gatekeepers, bringing a wider array of voices into literary spaces that once seemed impenetrable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
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For decades, Silicon Valley has maintained a nearly impenetrable legal perimeter in the form of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a 1996 law that allows tech companies to avoid legal responsibility for what its users post.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The beads are increasingly viewed as a problem, but a Mardi Gras without beads also seems unfathomable.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
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Losing to the United States and Russia was one thing, but losing to Slovenia, a tiny nation with just one NHL player on the roster, was almost unfathomable.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unintelligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintelligible. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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