as in incomprehensible
impossible to understand
uttered only a string of unintelligible murmurs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
As satire, Next to Heaven is unintelligible, as though someone is universalizing their own hangups and then skewering them for clout.
—
Literary Hub, 17 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
Literary Hub, 17 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
-
Workers who love incomprehensible, corporate-speak language tend to be bad at decision-making.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The incomprehensible war with Iran was the last straw.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The flyby lasted seven hours, during which the astronauts could enjoy views of the lunar surface previously unseen by human eyes, with about 21% of the moon’s mysterious far side illuminated by the sun from the crew’s perspective.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
-
This April, readers have plenty of new books to look forward to, including a metafictional exploration of memory, a look at the effects of family vlogging and a mysterious depiction of gentrification in Brooklyn.—
Theara Coleman,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Until now, essentially all his comments about the four-week-old war have been contradictory, confusing, or just outright false.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
However, following the path of Artemis II may be confusing as the astronauts, mission control and others use confusing jargon and phrases.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
When will Connecticut wake up and finally understand that their beloved Blumenthal – and his uncanny infatuation with lawsuits and investigations – has single-handedly sabotaged the state’s chances of ever being seriously considered again for a professional sports franchise?—
Matthew Chudoba,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Their uncanny beauty lies in their bold maximalism.—
Megan Paetzhold,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Investigators later linked the device to materials recovered from Zheng’s home and a burner phone used to place a cryptic 911 call warning about the bomb.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The news arrives after months of Rodrigo teasing new music, most recently a cryptic hotline message that alluded to this year’s pink moon, which occurred on April 2.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Costs of jet fuel are spiraling, along with more esoteric commodities such as helium.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
-
That’s what notation makes possible — the esoteric.—
John Pavlus,
Quanta Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That dominance has created a near-impenetrable moat.—
Scott Nations,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
-
David Benioff wrote 25th Hour (great), Troy (good), and then Stay, this nearly impenetrable psychological thriller that plays out like The Machinist through a David Lynch filter.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
These Chicago scientists and engineers played a critical role in the Manhattan Project, helping develop the atomic bombs that were used to bring about the unfathomable destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.—
Daniel Holz,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The notion of drafting Simpson with the 11th pick is unfathomable.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unintelligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintelligible. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
