UNINTELLIGIBLE Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

unintelligible

adjective

ˌən-in-ˈte-lə-jə-bəl

Definition of unintelligible

as in incomprehensible

impossible to understand uttered only a string of unintelligible murmurs

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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 unintelligible The man responded, but his words are unintelligible in the recording. — Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2026 In a video from Reuters, Charles appeared to laugh off Stewart's comment and said something unintelligible before turning to shake hands with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who also got a chuckle out of the exchange. — Mike Snider, USA Today, 12 May 2026 When infrastructure becomes an on-demand API, spending becomes increasingly unintelligible as multi-cloud adoption further fractures visibility of costs and governance. — Anuj Gupta, Forbes.com, 24 Mar. 2026 Instead, first-time director Fergus Campbell drops us directly into Cleo’s world — no parents, no rules and every authority figure is obscured, like the unintelligible adults in Peanuts cartoons. — Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unintelligible

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintelligible

Adjective

Here are three stars that appear neatly connected overhead, but in reality, one is separated by an incomprehensible distance.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 24 July 2026
By that point, almost five minutes down on yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar, the Tour may already have been done — save for an incomprehensible effort over Alpe d’Huez, or misfortune to Pogacar himself.

— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of incomprehensible

Adjective

Then there’s the new, mysterious character played by Sadie Sink, introducing a major element of MCU lore that has very little to do with Spider-Man.

— David Sims, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
And after a few days of searching, law enforcement received a mysterious eyewitness tip.

— Dateline NBC, NBC news, 30 July 2026

Definition of mysterious

Adjective

In fact, the over 50 different existing date variations can be quite confusing and have led to a lot of perfectly good food ending up in the trash.

— LeeAnn Weintraub, Oc Register, 25 July 2026
Although officials have said that Madison Square Garden will ultimately stay, the project's new renderings showcase new shops, cleaner and safer train platforms and less confusing layouts.

— Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 24 July 2026

Definition of confusing

Adjective

Played with tricksy force and a glint of anger in her eyes by Samantha Morton, Circe is at the center of the greatest scene in The Odyssey, one that foregrounds the grandeur and uncanny qualities of myth.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 July 2026
Critics have praised this Dalloway riff for its entrancing, uncanny visuals.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026

Definition of uncanny

Adjective

At first, these data would be cryptic—who besides the biggest air-pollution nerd would know the difference between 35 μg/m3 of particulate matter (yellow-level risk, per the AQI) and 60 μg/m3 (red-level risk)?

— Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
As Miami gained steam in the LeBron market behind Pat Riley’s cryptic public optimism, the Heat and Cavaliers continually flip-flopped as the DraftKings favorite to land LeBron during the week leading up to James’ eventual decision.

— Scott Phillips, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Definition of cryptic

Adjective

With all that group experience and wealth of individual styles, Play Time try something entirely different for their debut album on the admirably esoteric Balmat label.

— Reed Jackson, SPIN, 3 July 2026
This offers the do-it-yourself warrior a simple, direct route from antiquated lead-acid to state-of-the-art lithium without having to search for esoteric parts online.

— Malana VanTyler, USA Today, 24 June 2026

Definition of esoteric

Adjective

The Trojans kill the messenger, then haul the horse past their walled city’s impenetrable gates.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026
The Athletic’s Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero breaks down Spain’s impenetrable defense, while Cerys Jones analyzes whether Kylian Mbappe can guide France to a third consecutive World Cup final.

— The Athletic, New York Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of impenetrable

Adjective

Google has reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2026 (PDF), and as usual, the search giant raked in an unfathomable amount of money.

— Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 23 July 2026
When Mina’s closest friend Lucy succumbs to his thrall, the enigmatic Professor Van Helsing is summoned to wage war on this unfathomable threat.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 22 July 2026